The escalation of "pastoral settlement" threatens the existence of Palestinian Bedouin communities.

The concern among the residents of the Palestinian Bedouin communities in the occupied West Bank is escalating, with the increasing assaults by Israeli settlers and their seizure of land and vital resources as part of what is known as "pastoral settlement."

In the Jordan Valley of the West Bank, Nayef Al-Jahalin, one of the Bedouin livestock herders, is increasingly worried about the future of his family and his Bedouin community in Ras Ain Al-Auja, as Israeli settlements continue to expand in the area.

Al-Jahalin (49 years old) states that in the past two years, settlement outposts have proliferated, transforming from mobile homes to concrete houses built within 100 meters of the Bedouin residences.

In May of last year, settlers seized the main water spring in the village and diverted its course, exacerbating the suffering of the residents who now live in a constant state of alert to protect their water and electricity sources from vandalism and to prevent settlers from grazing their livestock near their homes.

Al-Jahalin confirms that the aim of these harassments is to drive the residents away and displace them, in the absence of any real protection, which he discussed with several villagers during a meeting to coordinate efforts to confront these threats.

Meanwhile, Abu Talib (75 years old), one of the residents of the community, expresses his sorrow over the current situation, saying, "I was raised on this land, and our lives were simple and self-sufficient, but today my grandchildren live in constant fear, fearing the settlers wherever they go."

Most residents of the community rely on livestock farming, making them particularly vulnerable to what is known as "pastoral settlement," a strategy employed by settler groups by sending groups of settlers to gradually seize land.

The occupying government supports and arms settler militias to assault Palestinians in Bedouin communities and villages, pushing them to migrate after destroying and burning their homes, seizing thousands of dunams of their grazing lands and water springs, and establishing settlements on their land under the pretext of providing spaces for the grazing of settlers' livestock.

Younis Ara, from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, states that these groups "provide new settlers with small herds and direct them to settle in specific areas, where they begin to raise livestock under armed protection."

The occupied West Bank has witnessed rapid settlement expansion since 1967, with more than half a million Israeli settlers currently living there in settlements that the United Nations considers illegal under international law, amidst around 3 million Palestinians.

In parallel with the genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, at least 1,050 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank – including East Jerusalem – and about 10,300 others have been injured, with more than 20,000 arrested, including 400 children, according to official Palestinian data.