Land Research Center

Violation: the expansion of a colonial outpost.

Location: Khallet Hamad / Northern Jordan Valley.

Date of violation: 04/10/2020.

Affected people: The citizens of Khirbet al-Hama and al-Farsiyya in that area.

Perpetrators: the Council of Israeli Colonies in the Jordan Valley.

Violation details:

The Israeli occupation, in coordination with the so-called "Israeli Colonies Council" in the Palestinian Jordan Valley, began adding new residential settlement units, one made of wood and the other consisting of a mobile room, to the colonial outpost established in the area of Khallet Hamad in the northern Jordan Valley on an area of 12 dunums of pastoral land .  By so doing,  the occupation authorities aim at establishing a new Israeli permanent settlement in the area, in order to contribute, along with the existing ones, to the establishment of a huge colonial cluster on Palestinian lands there, which are estimated at hundreds of  acres of agricultural and pastoral lands.

 the colonial outpost in the KhalletHamad area

It is noteworthy that at the  beginning of last February the occupation bulldozers opened a dirt road that connects between that outpost and the bypass road called "Alon Road" which is located at the eastern slopes of the West Bank territories.

During last September, LRC researcher spotted Israeli  settlers  installing a water reservoir and setting up an irrigation network with the aim of seizing the southern lands adjacent to the Palestinian residential spot of Al-Farisiyah (Ahmar) through cultivation and fencing these lands.

It is noteworthy that the outpost was initiated on 26/10/2016, when colonists brought a truck and stayed in it, then, they sat up two tents  under the protection of the occupation army, in synchronization with  the  demolition and dismissal of the local Bedouin community of al-Hamma. Following this, the Israeli army and settlers continued their terrorist acts which aimed at preventing Palestinian farmers and shepherds from entering these land, and eventually, the settlers managed  to establish the aforementioned outpost and, even, to build  permanent housing at the site. Today, there is a strong  pressure on the part of the settlers to get this outpost recognized by their colonial government. 

It should be noted that many of the colonial outposts began by transporting trucks to the targeted areas that are intended to be seized, then, moving a family of settlers to settle the truck, then, bringing herds of livestock and establishing barns around the truck with the aim of  controling vast areas of land and pastures.

For more information on methods of establishing colonial outposts, see the following link:

" The beginnings were in a truck… Six new colonial outposts on the lands of the Hebron Governorate since 2017".

This report was prepared with EU funding

The Contents of this document do not reflect position sand views of the European Union