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Real estate advertisement enticing people to move to the Maskiyot settlement.

One week ago, Israeli authorities issued a new confiscation order for land belonging to families from the Bardallah village in the northern valley of the Tubas District.   

The order was for the confiscation of 140 dunam, located very close to the Bisan Israeli military checkpoint in the valley. The land, most of it used for agriculture, belongs to Mohammed Rashed Aryan, Hasan Rasheed Aryan, Yahya Mujalli and Izzat Mohammed Abed al-Rahman.  

This order follows another order for the confiscation of 37 dunam that was issued in the beginning of August for land in this same area. Additionally, three months ago, another land confiscation order was issued to confiscate 356 dunam of land belonging to tens of families in the Samara and Wadi Elmaleh villages. The targeted land is very close to the Tayseer checkpoint.  

In all of the orders, the aim of confiscation is noted as being for “military and security reasons.”  However, as the Governor of the Tubas District, Dr. Sami Musallam, told Ma'an News Agency, "the aim of this new order is to change the status of the 1967 borders as an introduction to fix facts on the ground before any negotiations about the final issues, especially the border issue." 

The settlers in the northern valley have begun extensive work to expand some of the surrounding settlements. Last June, settlers from the Miskiot settlement confiscated around 100 dunam when they expand the fences of the settlement. The settlers further engaged in many aggressions against local Palestinian farmers and shepherds, and prevented them from working their land. One week ago, tens of settlers, some armed, chased the local Palestinian farmers who came to work in the land closest to the Miskiot settlement, forcing them to abandon the area.

The Israeli settlement project started in this valley already in 1968 and now there are 36 settlements and outposts there, in addition to tens of military bases and centers, some used for military training.

Israeli proclaimed the northern valley, where most of the villages including Bardallah are located, a closed military zone already four years ago; only residents actually residing in the area can pass through the local checkpoints. Many homes were demolished and others have been threatened with demolition. Not only the homes but also against medical clinics and schools military demolition orders have been issued, particularly in the nearby Aqaba and Hudaida villages.

According to the Alternative Information Center (AIC) and other human rights organization documentation, Palestinians in the area suffer from water shortages, although the area is rich in water sources; most of the local water is used to supply the Israeli settlements.

According to local residents, the new military orders signify not only confiscation and negative impacts on income of the families, but also even more limitations on their freedom of movement because the confiscated land is so close to Israeli military checkpoints.

Over recent months, the Displacement Work Group(DWG)—a coalition of tens of Palestinian, Israeli and international organizations, has defined this area as one of the places in which the Israeli occupation policies are implemented daily in order to push local residents off their land. These policies include home demolitions, the creation of water shortages, restrictions on freedom of movement and the building and expansion of settlements.