Settlement Plans Place Tubas Governorate And The Northern Jordan Valley under -dir-ect Threat

By: Madeeha Al-A’raj

The ‘National Bureau for Defending Land and Resisting Settlements stated in its latest weekly report , that although the American President Donald Trump pledged to some Arab and Islamic leaders that he would prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank´-or-parts of it, growing evidence suggests that Israeli policy is accelerating this process in the Tubas Governorate and the northern Jordan Valley as an initial step, counting on the American Administration’s readiness to turn a blind eye, so long as the move is presented as a superficial ‘security arrangement.’ Moreover, the ongoing developments, a series of measures, and several indicators in the Palestinian Tubas Governorate and the northern Jordan Valley are now in a more immediate and dangerous situation than ever.
The first of these indicators is, the recent occupation authorities issuance of 9 new military orders to seize large areas of land in the governorate, including privately owned and state land, with the aim of constructing a new military road linking Ein Shibli and the Tayasir village, a distance exceeding 40 km. According to the military orders, the targeted lands extend from the lands of Tamoon, passing through the Al-Baqi a Plain east of the Atouf village, and the Einun area in Tubas, reaching the Yarza area east of Tubas, and extending to the lands east of the Tayasir village.
Furthermore, on the morning of Nov. 26, the commander of the Central Command of the Israeli occupation army, Avi Blot, in conjunction with the Civil Administration and settler leaders in the area, launched an open war on the governorate, dubbed ‘Operation Five Stones’, referring to 5 areas where the operation was concentrated: the city of Tubas, the Tamoon and Aqaba town, and Tayasir village, and the Al-Far a Refugee Camp as well as its surroundings under security pretexts. It is clear from the course of this two-week war on the governorate that the security needs cited by the occupation army are being used as a cover for expansionist political and field measures aimed at restricting Palestinians and destroying the foundations of Palestinian agriculture.
The occupation uses the restrictions imposed on farmers as a tool of pressure aimed, on the one hand, at weakening the Palestinian agricultural sector, and on the other hand preparing the land for confiscation, ultimately leading to the displacement of Palestinian citizens from the entire area. The ongoing military operations in the Tubas Governorate and the Northern Jordan Valley have no connection to the security concerns promoted by the occupation authorities. None of their objectives reflect any real security fears, but rather come within the context of a broader project related to military training and field preparation for future political and settlement steps, foremost among them the annexation of the Northern Jordan Valley.
Palestinian citizens and officials in the governorate and region affirm that the Israeli military operation in Tubas and the Northern Jordan Valley, which appears to be a security activity, is merely a step in a long process combining military training, expanding territorial control, and paving the way politically and administratively to impose a new reality in the Northern Jordan Valley, ultimately leading to its de-facto annexation and the undermining of the Palestinian presence there.
This operation most clearly reflects a convergence between the positions of the so-called commander of the Israeli Army s Central Command, Avi Blot, and the interests of settlers seeking to control the land and expand their provocative settlement outposts. This is especially significant given that the targeted area is one of the most important Palestinian agricultural areas, considered a ‘major food basket’, making its destruction an act aimed at dismantling the Palestinian agricultural infrastructure, not eliminating any ‘terrorist infrastructure’ as the Israeli side claims.
The military operation was accompanied by raids and incursions into citizens homes, some of which were -convert-ed into military barracks. The Israeli Yediot Aharonot Newspaper reported that three Israeli army brigades: Menashe, Shomron, and Commandos were participating in the operation. The Israeli army began closing main roads in the governorate to consolidate its control over the area, imposing a complete curfew on the Tubas city and neighboring towns, and blocking all entrances with earth mounds and military checkpoints.
The indiscriminate deployment of forces, the generalization of the operation to the entire governorate rather than just suspected areas, and the total lockdown imposed on civilians, are transforming the Tubas governorate into ‘an open military zone’ instead of a civilian community. This is reminiscent of waging psychological warfare, not just against ‘militants’, but against all civilians, imposing restrictions on movement, education, health, water, and electricity - basic necessities of life - all being used as weapons.

A third witness, the Israeli Haaretz nespaper reported that the Israeli army has begun constructing a new section of the separation wall deep in the Northern Jordan Valley, a move described by residents and human rights activists as the most dangerous in years. This new section effectively turns dozens of communities into besieged enclaves, severing their connection to vast areas of agricultural and grazing land. According to the paper, the current section stretches 22 km in length and up to 50 m in width, located more than 12 km west of the Jordanian border.
The ongoing work includes the demolition of residential and agricultural structures, tents, warehouses, and sections of water networks, as part of what is known as the ‘Crimson Thread’ military project. In recent days, the Israeli Civil Administration notified several families in the areas of Ein Shibli and Khirbet Atouf of immediate demolition orders, giving them a week to vacate their homes, in preparation for the construction of the new wall route. Residents fear their villages will become isolated enclaves, particularly Khirbet Yarza, home to about 70 people who rely on livestock farming on an estimated 400 dunams of land that will be completely encircled.
Military documents indicate that the wall will serve as a patrol route, accompanied by earth mounds and deep ditches, while a security fence is being constructed in several sections. We know here that patrol and military roads quickly become infrastructure serving settlements and settlement activities.
In this regard, Dror Etkes, an expert on settlement affairs from the Kerem Navot Association, which specializes in monitoring Israeli measures to control Palestinian land, estimates that the current phase of the ‘Crimson Thread Pproject’ will lead to the separation of farmers and landowners in the towns of Tamoon, Tubas, Tayasir, and al-Aqaba from vast areas of their land, amounting to about 45,000 dunams, lie between the Allon Road and the new wall. The targeted area, located between the northern Jordan Valley and the Hamra checkpoint, includes 7 existing settlements, in addition to 16 pastoral outposts resembling farms.

In addition, colonial plans are being circulated among settlers under the -dir-ection of the Israeli Civil Administration. A news report published last week by the Hebrew website Ynet revealed that Israeli officials from the Shomron Regional Council, headed by the far-right Likud member Yossi Dagan, and the municipality of Rosh HaAyin have launched a joint initiative to establish a new settlement city in the West Bank called -;-East Rosh HaAyin’.
The city to be built on state-owned land in the northern West Bank highlands is intended to accommodate more than 130,000 settlers. Officials view the project as an extension of the ‘One Million in Samaria’ vision, which aims to increase the population to one million and strengthen the settlement presence by 2050. Supporters of the project, such as Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council, and Radi Sagi, mayor of Rosh HaAyin, assert that the goal of establishing the city is not merely demographic, but primarily strategic and security-related.
They also promote it as a vital ‘security belt’ for central Israel, protecting areas like Rosh HaAyin from future threats. The announcement of the proposed city came during a visit by Dagan and Sagi to the Lerner Farm, located between the settlements of Bedu el, Leshem, Bruchin, and Eli Zahav, on land in the Qalqilia and Salfeet governorates.
The aforementioned Ynet report stated that teams from the Shomron Regional Council and the Rosh HaAyin Municipality have been working for the past two months on a plan that includes connecting the eastern neighborhoods of Rosh HaAyin to the Leshem settlement to form a contiguous urban and agricultural bloc. The initiators called on the government to officially approve the project.

On another level, the Israeli Haaretz published a sensational investigation last week titled ‘For the Sake of Judea: The Israeli Army becomes a wheel in the Settler Machine’. The investigation sheds light on an online project using - WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and YouTube - through which the Israeli army encourages soldiers and the public to visit settlement outposts and archaeological sites in the West Bank, including in Areas A and B, which are under Palestinian Authority control.
The project operates through organized groups run by the army and also utilizes settler propaganda channels. It disseminates promotional materials for private projects, political propaganda, and religious and archaeological narratives, some of which lack any scientific basis. The content is presented by officers, soldiers, guides, civilian archaeologists, and political figures from the settlements.
The project was founded by a soldier who served in the Judea Brigade and continued to lead it even while on reserve duty, with the full support of his senior commanders. In a video recently posted on YouTube, the commander of the Judea Brigade, Shachar Barkai, and the commander of the Shomron Brigade, Ariel Gonen along with their deputies, appear.
In the video, the commander of the engineering unit in both brigades says that after the tours, she sees how the bond is strengthened, as well as the ability to carry out the mission, through a deep understanding of what this place means. At the end of the video, another officer says, ‘We are here because these are the glorious landmarks of the people of Israel.’

On many television channels, scores of films encourage soldiers and the public to visit sites, including the ‘Samaritan Shrine’ in the heart of Nablus. In the film, the guide explains that the site is located 80-100 m from Tomb of Joseph. The channel, operated by the Judea Brigade also provides a platform for settler leaders. Eyal Gelman, head of the Hebron Local Council, speaks in one of the films about a miracle, according to which Abraham came to complete the quorum at a synagogue in the heart of Hebron.
Another film features recommendations for meeting places and marriage proposals. The man presenting the film, dressed in military uniform and identified as a member of the ‘For the Sake of Judah Ggroup’, recommends the Nehgot Farm in the South Hebron Hills, an outpost established in 2018. The Shomron Brigade also operates a similar channel called ‘For the Sake of Shomron’, where a film from the Sabastia Archaeological site features a guide, also in military uniform, explaining that bathing facilities located alongside the Roman Temple were actually Jewish ritual baths.

The Emek Shaveh Archaeological Organization, which focuses on heritage rights and the use of archaeology in the context of the conflict, stated that ‘the connection between the ideology of the Israeli army and the ideology of the settlers is already well-known. The new in it is the blatant way in which the settlers are influencing the captive public-young soldiers, who are being indoctrinated with right-wing and religious views through heritage sites by figures of authority to whom they are subject’.

List of Israeli Assaults over the Last Week Documented by the National Bureau:
Jerusalem:
- Establishing a new outpost east of the Mikhmas town, erecting mobile homes and beginning infrastructure work on land east of the town.
- Attacking shepherds, forcing them to leave grazing areas at gunpoint and threatened them not to return.
- Storming the Ma azi Jaba community before being confronted by local youths who prevented them from advancing further. Additionally, groups of settlers, protected by Israeli occupation forces, stormed the Bedouin community of Al-Ara ara northeast of Jerusalem.
- Forcing Moh’d Karshan to demolish his own home in the Al-Salam Neighborhood, east of Jerusalem, under the pretext of lacking a permit.
Hebron:
- Injuring 6 Palestinians, including a pregnant woman in an attack by settlers on Palestinian homes in the Hawawer area of Halhul.
- Vandalizing a Palestinian s vehicle and prevented farmers from accessing their land in Masafer Yatta,. Settlers also detained several Palestinians attempting to reach and cultivate their land in the village of Al-Burj, south of Hebron.
- Preventing farmers from reaching their land and fired stun grenades and tear gas at them, causing dozens to suffer from tear gas inhalation in the Tarqumya town.
- Uprooting 850 olive and grape trees in Khirbet Khallat al-Homs, southeast of Yatta, and vandalized an agricultural building and damaged barbed wire.
- Raiding and plowing Palestinian-owned land and fields, preparing them for cultivation and eventual seizure in the Ashkara area, southeast of Yatta.
- Demolishing commercial structures on the road connecting the towns of Al-Ramadin and Al-Dhahiriya. The Israeli army also prevented residents of Wadi Ajheish, near Susya in Masafer Yatta, from plowing their land and forced them to leave the area.
- Issuing a demolition order for the Khilat Amira school, which consists of eight caravans and serves 54 students from kindergarten to fourth grade in the Abu Shaban area, east of Yatta. This is the second such order issued against the school, following a stop-work order issued last year.
Bethlehem:
- Injuring 10 citizens in a settler attack in the Khala’il al-Luz village, after settlers infiltrated the village and tried to burn down a house belonging to the Salahat family. However, the residents managed to confront them, so the settlers fired at the citizens and assaulted them. One person was injured by live ammunition in the thigh, and three others were injured by bruises as a result of the beating and were taken to the hospital.
- Demolishing 2 residential apartments belonging to the brothers Qassam and Rabhi Khaled Ma’ali, and bulldozed and destroyed the main street, and demolished a retaining wall in the Walaja village.
- Preventing the electricity company from installing electricity poles in the village of Kisan, which hinders the improvement of electricity services and the expansion of the energy network in the area.
- Posting notices on trees and house facades in the Tuqu town, ordering the removal of olive trees that are more than 30 years old on the side of the main street in the town from the western entrance to the Al-Halqum area, and Marah Rabah to the south, along a length of about 1 km in an attempt to seize the land for settlement purposes.
- Plowing land and planting it with grains in the Khala’il Al-Lawz area, southeast of Bethlehem, in an attempt to seize it.
Ramallah:
- Attacking water facilities in the Ein Samia area east of Ramallah, targeting water well number 6. This resulted in a complete halt to pumping from the well, which is a primary water source for Palestinian communities east of Ramallah. The Jerusalem Water Authority stated that the repeated attacks on the Ein Samia wells threaten the water security of about 19 communities that rely heavily on these sources to meet their daily needs.
- Plowing land owned by residents in the Al-Ma arshiyah plain, north of the Sinjil town, indicating their intention to seize the land after the occupation authorities declared it a closed military zone. The land is only 200 m from residents homes.
- Uprooting olive trees in the village of Kafr Malik in the Al-Manatir area and 100 olive trees in the village of Al-Janiya.
- Erecting a caravan in the Batn Al-Halawa area of Sinjil, north of the town, and others stormed the village of Al-Mughayyir, walking near residents homes.
- Setting fire to agricultural lands surrounding an outpost they had recently established on the Atara town’s land.
- Kidnapping the young man, Oweis Hamam Al-Lou, 18 from the village of Beitillu and severely beat him, after which he was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Nablus:
- Storming the archaeological site in the Sabastia town under heavy protection from Israeli occupation soldiers.
- Assaulting a 29 years old man while he was on Mount Rujeib, causing him injuries in the Rujeib village. He was transferred to the hospital for treatment.
- Attacking the plain of the Beit Furik town, where residents confronted them, leading to clashes. Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas and detained several residents. The settlers are attempting to seize control of the area after establishing a new outpost north of the town, near the main water well that supplies the town.
- Attacking Palestinian property, vandalizing the fence surrounding land belonging to Ahmed Salah Hamad, cutting off the irrigation water supply, and stealing the water meter in the Masodiya area.
- Vandalizing a tractor belonging to Iyad Salah Abu Ragheb in the village of Burqa, attempted to set fire to a vehicle, and wrote racist slogans on the walls of a house.
Qalqilia:
- Demolishing a barn used as a cattle farm, estimated to be at least three dunams in size, belonging to citizen Ahmed Bashir in the village of Jinsafut, east of Qalqilia.
- Attacking a vehicle near the entrance to the village of Amatin and pelted it with stones, causing material damage to it.
Salfeet:
- Setting fire to parts of Al-Falah Mosque in the Abu Zain area, north of the Bidya town, and wrote racist slogans on the walls of a house near the mosque.
- Cutting down olive and citrus trees belonging to farmer Abdul Razzaq Khaled Mansour in Wadi Qana.
- Attacking vehicles belonging to residents of the Yasuf town, damaging 4 vehicles belonging to Abdul Karim Sayel, Fadi Abdul Fattah, Yasser Abdul Fattah, and Amir Abdul Fattah, and issued four stop-work and demolition orders for two houses belonging to residents Rabee Ahmed Abieh and Sami Naeem Hussein, in addition to a notice for a water well owned by Wasfi Hassan Ayoub.
Jordan Valley:
- Forcing the families of Suleiman Khaled Ka’bneh and Khaled Suleiman Ka’bneh, residents of the eastern Balqa area north of Jericho to leave their homes. These families had already been displaced from the Furush Beit Dajan area southeast of Nablus on Oct. 8 and are now facing displacement once again.
- Injuring 4 international solidarity activists, 3 moderately and 1 serious, in an attack by settlers in the Ein-Duyuk community near Jericho. The settlers broke into the home where the activists were staying, assaulted them, and stole the contents of the house, including their passports and mobile phones.
- Attacking agricultural land and damaged irrigation networks serving scores of dunams in Al-Farsiya. They also stole a tractor belonging to Ziad Saqr Damra while he was plowing his land and transported it to the settlement outpost near Mount Qarantal west of the city.
- Issuing demolition orders against 5 families, by removing residential and agricultural structures in the Atoof Village, east of Tamoon within 7 days.

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