Op-Ed Decries "Systematic Displacement" in Palestinian Jordan Valley Amid Tightening Israeli Control

An opinion piece by Dr. Dalal Saeb Erakat outlines what it describes as an intensifying Israeli campaign to control and empty the Palestinian Jordan Valley, framing it as a core part of a "Zionist colonial project." The article argues that this strategically vital and fertile region, historically Palestine's "food basket," is being systematically transformed into a closed military zone through checkpoints, settlement expansion, and restrictions designed to displace its indigenous population.

Stretching along the eastern edge of the West Bank from north of Jenin to south of Jericho, the Jordan Valley is portrayed as under an "iron grip." Dr. Erakat highlights the role of military checkpoints, specifically naming Tayasir and Hamra as key instruments of control and daily humiliation. The Tayasir checkpoint, the article states, operates under severely restricted hours (4:00-8:00 AM and 12:00-6:00 PM) with a limit of only 20 vehicles allowed passage per day, forcing farmers, students, and patients into long waits. The Hamra checkpoint, at the entrance to the northern Valley, is described as particularly repressive, arbitrarily denying passage to Palestinians while allowing settlers free movement, effectively isolating Palestinians from their land and reinforcing what the author terms an "apartheid" reality.

The piece details a recent, unprecedented escalation of activities by Israeli settlers and the military, particularly in the northern Valley. These include the construction of new settlement outposts in areas like Al-Maleh and Bedouin communities, leading to family displacement; the establishment of an outpost near Bardala village accompanied by daily attacks on residents; a tightened siege on Kardala preventing farmers' access to their land; the seizure of "Al-Deir" lands in Ein al-Beida, with springs converted into tourist parks for settlers; and the confiscation of essential infrastructure like water pumps and solar panels, alongside direct assaults on farmers.

Dr. Erakat argues that these actions are not random but are integral to a broader, strategic Israeli "colonial settlement project" aimed at displacement. The goal, according to the op-ed, is to confiscate Palestinian land, dismantle the Palestinian socio-economic fabric, and impose absolute control over resources and territory. This is achieved progressively through settlement construction, bypass roads, military orders confiscating land, and preventing Palestinian natural growth and construction. Settlements, the author contends, are not mere "population expansion" but a colonial tool to alter the land's character, create irreversible facts on the ground, and facilitate de facto annexation in violation of international law and UN resolutions.

The article notes that even the ancient city of Jericho is now besieged, and its entrances are frequently closed, restricting the movement of residents and visitors.

In conclusion, Dr. Erakat asserts that the events unfolding in the Jordan Valley are not temporary security measures or isolated violence but a deliberate "replacement project" executed by an extremist right-wing government. This project, she argues, aims to empty the land of its Palestinian inhabitants to expand settlements and assert Israeli sovereignty. The Jordan Valley is presented as a crucial front in the confrontation against this colonial endeavor. Defending the Valley, the author concludes, is synonymous with defending fundamental Palestinian rights to land, sovereignty, and dignity – a national and moral imperative.