Israeli army seals last route to West Bank, 47 Palestinian families isolated

The Israeli military has closed the last access route to a small Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, leaving 47 families isolated and struggling to obtain food, water and feed for their livestock, residents said.

The closure of the route to Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar, southeast of Tubas in the Jordan Valley, entered its fifth consecutive day Saturday after Israeli forces dug a trench across the last remaining track into the community, resident Thaer Basharat told Anadolu.

The rough road was already difficult to navigate and was mainly used by livestock and agricultural tractors. Its closure has left residents with no practical way to transport large quantities of essential supplies into the village.

“The 47 families in the village rely on livestock farming and are now unable to bring in their basic necessities or sheep feed,” Basharat said.

Residents say the latest measure follows more than two months of closures affecting other dirt roads leading to the community.

They say restrictions have steadily tightened over several years, with the latest closure effectively turning the village into an enclosed area surrounded by trenches, earth mounds and military-controlled zones.

The community is home to roughly 40 to 47 families, with residents depending largely on livestock herding and limited agriculture for their livelihoods.

The loss of vehicle access has made obtaining animal feed particularly difficult. Residents also face challenges transporting water, food and other necessities, while moving livestock and agricultural equipment has become increasingly difficult.

Livelihoods under growing pressure

Basharat said the community previously relied on about 360,000 dunams of grazing land, but that roughly 90% had either been seized or placed off-limits.

The figure could not be independently verified, but residents have for years reported losing access to traditional grazing areas because of military restrictions, land seizures, settlement activity and new infrastructure.

The restrictions have increased the financial pressure on families who depend on livestock. With less access to grazing land, herders have had to rely more heavily on purchased animal feed, while road closures make transporting supplies more difficult.

Residents fear the worsening conditions could eventually force families to abandon the community.

“The Israeli pressure aims to forcibly displace the entire community from the village,” Basharat said.

Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar is located in Area C of the West Bank, where Israel exercises civil and security control under the interim arrangements established by the Oslo Accords.

The community has faced repeated restrictions on construction and infrastructure, as well as demolitions and temporary evacuations linked to Israeli military activity.

Barrier cuts through farmland

The latest closure is linked to construction of a military barrier project known as the “Crimson Thread,” which is being built along parts of the eastern edge of the West Bank.

The first major section stretches roughly 20 to 22 kilometers through the northern Jordan Valley. The project includes a military patrol road, trenches, earth embankments and other barriers.

Construction has cut through Palestinian agricultural land and infrastructure, according to Palestinian residents, rights groups and Israeli media reports.

The Times of Israel reported in July that trenches associated with the project had been dug through Palestinian farmland around Ras al-Ahmar and had damaged water pipelines. The project has also affected agricultural plots and other infrastructure in the area.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported in August that Israeli forces had filled in three artesian wells and damaged about 300 meters of a water pipeline in Ras al-Ahmar. Three livestock shelters were also demolished, according to the report.

For residents, the loss of access to water and grazing land has compounded the impact of the road closures.

The Jordan Valley is one of the West Bank’s most important agricultural regions, supporting farming and livestock communities that depend on access to land and water.

Restrictions intensified after Gaza war

The situation in Ras al-Ahmar is part of a wider deterioration in conditions for Palestinian communities across the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

Movement restrictions, military operations, settler attacks, demolitions and land-access restrictions have increased in several parts of the territory.

Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem and other monitoring groups have documented the displacement of Palestinian herding communities, particularly in parts of the Jordan Valley and the southern West Bank.

Palestinian residents and officials say the cumulative restrictions are making it increasingly difficult for rural communities to remain on their land, particularly those whose livelihoods depend on grazing livestock.

Israeli authorities have rejected claims that their policies are intended to forcibly displace Palestinians, saying restrictions and demolitions are connected to security concerns and Israeli regulations governing construction and land use in Area C.

But for residents of Ras al-Ahmar, the immediate consequences are increasingly severe.

With the last vehicle route blocked, families are struggling to bring in essential supplies, livestock feed and water. Residents can still move on foot in some areas, but that provides little practical help for transporting heavy loads or supporting livestock.

A community facing an uncertain future

The closure comes as work on the Crimson Thread barrier continues across the northern Jordan Valley.

Residents and Palestinian officials say the project is further restricting access to agricultural land and grazing areas and threatening the livelihoods of communities that have lived in the region for generations.

The wider dispute over the Jordan Valley has long centered on land, water and movement. The latest road closure has brought those issues into sharper focus for the families of Ras al-Ahmar.

DAILYSABAH