Ein al-Auja, West Bank: Residents of a Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley claim that armed Israeli settlers stole hundreds of sheep in one of the largest reported incidents of violence against Palestinian herders.
Local witnesses say the attack, which took place Friday near Ein al-Auja, north of Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was unprecedented in scale. They report that approximately 1,500 sheep and goats were either driven away or loaded onto pickup trucks by settlers, while Israeli police and soldiers allegedly stood by.
“The Biggest One There Has Been”
“This was the biggest one there has been,” said Hani Zayed, a resident who claims to have lost 70 sheep in the incident. He expressed frustration over law enforcement’s inaction.
“The police don’t do anything, they have never helped us in anything. If you tell them the settler is taking your sheep, they’ll ask, ‘Are you sure it’s yours?'” he said.
The Israeli police, however, denied that the event occurred as described. The Israeli military did not comment, nor did a group representing settlers in the area.
The Jordan Valley, a sparsely populated region near the Jordan River, has seen increasing pressure from settlers, with human rights groups and Palestinian residents accusing Israeli authorities of facilitating the expansion of settlements at the expense of Bedouin communities.
For these semi-nomadic herders, losing livestock is equivalent to losing their livelihood. Many believe the attacks are part of a broader strategy to force them off the land, enabling Israeli settlements to take full control.
Armed Israeli settlers broke in and stole nearly 1,500 sheep and goats from the semi-nomadic Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley, in what residents say is part of an effort to drive them out of the land https://t.co/EXmwqbbU5f pic.twitter.com/KqSUr1ivvS
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 12, 2025
Tensions Escalating Amid Political Shifts
Speculation has grown that U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently lifted sanctions on violent settlers, may support a full Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Israeli ministers have openly discussed plans for complete control of the territory, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and has occupied since.
Ein al-Auja, established about 40 years ago, lacks basic infrastructure. Electricity comes from mobile solar panels, and water is transported by tankers despite the presence of a nearby spring reserved for settlers.
“The aim of these attacks is to empty the area of its inhabitants,” said Musa Abayat, a resident. “This is our only source of livelihood.”
Bedouin Families Describe the Attack
According to residents, the attack began around 9:00 p.m. local time when Israeli settlers entered the Bedouin encampment and accused them of livestock theft. Shortly after, dozens of armed settlers arrived with police and soldiers.
Witnesses say the settlers forcibly entered homes, pushing people aside while driving livestock out of pens.
“We were terrified when the settlers attacked,” said Nayfeh Salameh, a mother of five. “The children jumped out of bed when they heard the shouts and the voices of the settlers. It was a horror for them.”
Activists from the Israeli rights group Mistaclim (Looking the Occupation in the Eye), who monitor settler violence in the area, captured footage of the attack.
“Everything happened very fast,” said Gili Avidor, an Israeli volunteer with the group. She described how masked settlers, arriving in about a dozen vehicles, followed police cars into the encampment before storming homes and stealing hundreds of sheep.
“They stole them all away,” Avidor said.
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Limited Recourse for Victims
Naif Tarif, another resident who lost 250 sheep, said those affected attempted to file police complaints but faced delays. Only one person was allowed to speak to the police about their loss, he added.
“These sheep are our lives,” Tarif said.
The Israeli military, which oversees the occupied West Bank, referred inquiries to the police. The police claimed a Palestinian suspect had been interrogated and confessed to stealing 50 sheep from a Jewish farm owner, which were subsequently returned. They also said 15 sheep belonging to a Palestinian owner had been returned after mistakenly joining the settler’s flock.
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Reuters was unable to reach representatives of nearby Israeli outposts for comment. The Jordan Valley Council, which represents Israeli settlements in the area, did not respond to requests for a statement.
Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel disputes this claim, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.
