According to a report by the Times of Israel on Tuesday 10 March, 2026, tensions are growing again in the northern Jordan Valley after residents of several small Palestinian communities said Israeli military officials recently urged them to leave the area ahead of planned changes on the ground.
According to people living there, the commander of the Jordan Valley Brigade, Col. Gilad Shriki, visited a cluster of hamlets on Sunday accompanied by a small group of soldiers and an Arabic-speaking officer linked to Israel’s Civil Administration. The visit reportedly covered five communities – Farisiya, Hammamat al-Maleh, Ein al-Hilweh, Samra and Makhoul – home altogether to several dozen families scattered across the rugged valley.
One resident, who asked not to be named because he fears repercussions, described how the officers arrived at his community and spoke with locals about their future in the area. During the exchange, the Arabic-speaking officer suggested that residents consider relocating to nearby Palestinian Authority-administered towns such as Tammun or Tubas. The man said he pushed back, explaining that his life and identity were rooted in the land. The officer responded bluntly: “Take your ID and go.”
Others in nearby hamlets say they received a similar message that same day. A second resident recalled being told that a fence is expected to be built on nearby high ground, a project that would effectively cut the communities off from surrounding areas and make daily life there far more difficult. The officer, he said, warned that remaining could eventually lead to the demolition of homes once construction moves forward.
The encounter left families shaken. In his case, the resident said the conversation happened outside while the rest of his household stayed inside, too frightened to come out. Nothing like this, he added, had happened before.
Another villager from a third community said the brigade commander spoke in Hebrew while the accompanying officer translated into Arabic. The message, as he understood it, was that the situation in the region had changed dramatically since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Residents were told that although the land might historically belong to them, they lacked official permits to live there under Israeli administration. The officers also referred again to the possibility of a fence dividing the area from Palestinian Authority territory.
An Israeli activist who works with residents in the valley described the visit as discouraging but outwardly courteous. He said the commander told him the community’s future looked bleak and suggested the Civil Administration would likely demolish the village within the coming year. The activist said the tone was calm, yet the underlying message was unmistakable: the settlement had little chance of surviving.
Groups monitoring the region say displacement has been steadily increasing. According to the activist network Jordan Valley Activists, roughly two dozen Palestinian communities in the northern part of the valley have left their homes during the past two years, citing escalating settler violence and pressure in the area.
Israeli authorities have not publicly commented on the specific claims from residents. The Civil Administration, which oversees many civilian matters in the West Bank’s Area C, did not respond to requests for clarification.
The Israel Defense Forces, however, confirmed that an officer visited the communities. In a statement, the military said the trip was meant to reassure residents and stress that the army is responsible for maintaining security for everyone in the region. The statement added that the commander emphasized efforts to prevent clashes and warned that incidents of friction – from either side – would be addressed.
The army also noted that grazing livestock inside military firing zones requires prior coordination with authorities. It added that enforcement actions are being considered against structures built without permits in the area. See more