Jordan valley: For generations, the spring of Al-Auja has been the lifeline of Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley, sustaining families, irrigating farmland, and supporting local livestock. However, today, it represents a stark reality: water access is being used as a tool of displacement. Six months after the forced expulsion of the Ras Ein Al-Auja community from near the spring, around 120 families-more than 600 people-remain scattered across displacement sites lacking basic necessities. Their removal followed years of escalating attacks by Israeli settlers, which began with the establishment of a pastoral outpost near the spring, the seizure of water sources, and the destruction of grazing lands, culminating in a campaign of harassment that forced the community to leave.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Ras Ein Al-Auja was one of the largest Palestinian Bedouin and pastoral communities forcibly displaced in recent years. For resident Haitham Rashaida, the loss was not only of a home but of a generational way of life. Rashaida recalls three years of mounting losses after the establishment of a settlement outpost and restrictions on the community's access to water. The settlers diverted water channels, cutting off supplies that reached the community and agricultural lands in the nearby village of Al-Auja. Families were forced to buy water transported by tankers at significant financial cost.
Rashaida, who once owned 400 sheep, had to purchase a 10-cubic-meter water tanker every two days while also buying animal feed due to lost grazing areas. The economic pressure intensified as attacks escalated. Before the community's final displacement, Rashaida lost his entire herd after a violent settler attack resulted in the theft of around 1,500 livestock belonging to him and his neighbors. Daily raids, intimidation, and attacks on homes eventually forced families to abandon their land.
Across the northern Jordan Valley, Palestinian communities describe a similar pattern: the establishment of pastoral settlement outposts near water sources, the fencing off of springs, restrictions on access to grazing areas, and escalating attacks leaving residents with few options but displacement. The community of Khallet Khader was among the first to experience this process. In 2022, settlers fenced off the spring that bears the community's name and prevented residents from accessing it. Resident Hamed Daraghmeh described a sequence of events similar to Ras Ein Al-Auja, culminating in his displacement after the arrest of his married sons nearly two years ago.
The campaign has extended to those attempting to bring alternative water supplies. Ayed Zawahreh, displaced from the Al-Maita community earlier this year, said transporting water became a daily risk. According to figures from the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, there are approximately 270 Israeli pastoral outposts among around 370 different types of settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank. These outposts have become a central mechanism for expanding control over land and natural resources, particularly in Area C of the West Bank.
For displaced residents, the seizure of water sources has become one of the most effective methods of making life unsustainable. In the Al-Burj community, which was forcibly displaced in February, Naif Al-Faqir described it as a 'war of thirst.' Such incidents have become increasingly common in communities facing pressure to leave. In Khirbet Al-Himma in the northern Jordan Valley, 20 families dependent on livestock farming now face similar pressures after settlers took control of the area's spring and completely fenced it off.
The struggle over water in the Jordan Valley is not new. Since 1967, Israeli authorities have imposed control over Palestinian water resources, including surface and underground sources, while limiting Palestinian development of water infrastructure. Water researcher Walid Abu Mohsen said Israeli policies have systematically reduced Palestinian control over water resources. He warned that new water pipelines through the national water company Mekorot to directly supply settlements could further deepen restrictions on Palestinian communities.
The impact extends beyond pastoral communities. In agricultural areas like Bardala, Kardala, and the Al-Baqi'a Plain, farmers say water restrictions have damaged one of Palestine's most important agricultural regions. Recent land leveling operations in Atouf and the Al-Baqi'a Plain have damaged major water pipelines, threatening the agricultural identity of the region. Omar Sawaftah, director of the Northern Jordan Valley Agriculture Department, said water restrictions have pushed large agricultural areas out of production.
A 2024 study by the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem found that water access has become a major tool of pressure against Palestinian communities. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported the displacement of around 600 Palestinians from Ras Ein Al-Auja in January 2026, the largest displacement of a single community resulting from settler attacks and access restrictions in recent years.
Months after these displacements, residents remain separated from their lands, springs, and traditional sources of livelihood. Meanwhile, the pattern continues elsewhere: pastoral outposts established near water sources, springs fenced off, grazing lands seized, and attacks intensified until daily life becomes increasingly impossible. The evidence, testimonies, and data gathered from across the Jordan Valley reveal a broader pattern where water is no longer only a natural resource under dispute but a central element in a process of territorial control and forced displacement. As Palestinian communities struggle to remain on their land, the question remains: how many more communities will face the same fate, and how far will the struggle over water reshape the future of Palestinian presence in the Jordan Valley?