Summary

The final stage in the ethnic-cleansing operation in the southern Jordan Valley began on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, about a week and a half ago, when some ten outpost youths arrived in Ras Ein al-Auja—some masked and carrying clubs, one armed with a long gun. Security forces were called and arrived at the scene, but chose to arrest five Palestinian residents, who were later released, following a report of a settler who was allegedly injured in the incident.

The next day, Wednesday, settlers arrived at the village with two tractors, accompanied by the army and the regional council’s land inspector. Upon arrival, the tractors began plowing land in the heart of the village, entering private courtyards, destroying the paved road used by residents, and severing the electricity supply cable to their homes. The involvement of human-rights activists led the Civil Administration to halt the continued plowing, but the settler attack on the village had only just begun.

As early as Sunday of the previous week, a settler riding an ATV terrorized children returning from school. Dozens of settlers, many of them youths, began roaming among the village homes, some leading herds into the village from three outposts. They emptied water tanks, harassed vehicles attempting to enter the village, and threw stones at sheep pens—all in the face of the indifference of security forces, whose duty under international law is to protect the inhabitants of occupied territory. Even an increased presence of human-rights activists failed to stop the settler momentum as the army, police, and state stood by.

‍

Today, the Ras Ein al-Auja community is encircled by outposts and settlements. In the summer, settlers took over homes abandoned by families who had lived on the outskirts of Ras Ein al-Auja (“the burned houses”) and established another outpost there; two weeks ago, yet another small outpost was erected within the village itself. After 50 years of living in the area, the herding community is being forced to uproot. They arrived in the Jordan Valley decades ago after being expelled from their previous place of residence, having earlier been compelled during the 1948 war to abandon their original home in the Negev.

‍

Sunday – Activists from Looking the Occupation in the Eye escorted the Salameh family’s children to school out of fear of violence by outpost youths who were near their homes. A goat herd and a camel herd grazed in the morning on the soccer field that settlers had plowed the previous week. The children were released from school earlier than usual. An ATV driven at high speed by settler chased the children. The children fled in terror. Despite several calls, the police did not arrive.

At noon, a herd entered the village from the direction of Zohar’s farm and positioned itself about 10 meters from the homes of the Naif family. Palestinian children tried to prevent the herder from advancing deeper into the compound; in response, he struck one of them with a rod. An activist who tried to intervene between the settler and the children was also beaten. Soldiers arrived at the scene, as did outpost leaders Avishai Horowitz and Micha Sudai, along with Gabriel Kalish, the security coordinator of Mevo’ot Yericho. The three instructed the uniformed personnel, who then searched for a local child but found nothing.

‍

Tuesday – The day began with escorting Ras Ein al-Auja’s children to school. At the same time, herds set out from older outposts and from those established only weeks earlier entered into different areas of the village. Goats entered household courtyards, and one herder opened a water tank near the Naif home. Other settlers filmed women inside their homes. By the end of the day, six herds were present in the village.

‍

Wednesday – A herder from Zohar Sabah’s outpost arrived with his herd at the Hussein family compound, approached a female activist, and struck her with his shepherd’s staff. In the afternoon, six herds and settlers gathered near the homes of the Abu Taleb family and began descending toward the plowed area. Village residents remained inside their homes.

‍

Thursday – In the morning it became clear that two households, whose homes are on the edge of the village near the outpost, had begun packing their belongings after realizing that the terror emanating from the outpost and the incursions of settlers and outpost youths into residential areas were met with no response due to the lack of intervention by the army and police. Throughout the day, settlers continued to lead their herds onto village lands. A Palestinian woman resident of the village was attacked on the nearby road by settlers. Activists rushed to escort her.

‍

Friday – As early as the morning, settlers with their herds gathered adjacent to the sheds near the madafeh (guest tent), and a masked settler climbed onto the hospitality tent where activists were staying. Police did not arrive even after two calls.

‍

Saturday – From the morning hours, many families began dismantling their homes in preparation for departure. At the same time, many human-rights volunteers arrived in Ras Ein al-Auja and spread out across various sites. Settler herds roamed and grazed throughout the village. Around noon they left the settlement, possibly due to army intervention.

Throughout Saturday, the dismantling of homes and pens in family compounds continued. Activists secured the dismantling and packing work. Meanwhile at afternoon, outpost youths continued to arrive with herds and harass residents.

After two years of harassment, incursions, and violence by settlers, the tiny outpost established about two weeks ago between residents’ homes tipped the balance. It marked the beginning of a planned offensive that even the activists of Looking the Occupation in the Eye, who maintain a protective presence in the village day and night, were unable to prevent or to provide residents with a sense that their homes there were safe.