For years, the Palestinian herders from the village of Ouja in the Jordan Valley were barred from reaching their grazing lands. They were terrorized by settlers from the illegal outpost Havat Omer that kept expanding, claiming more and more land as their own.
The Palestinians asked Ta'ayush to accompany them to these lands. On our visit on July 14, the settlers from Havat Omer appeared again, driving around madly, right into the the herd of sheep. It is a miracle no sheep or persons were hurt. When they saw the Ta'ayush activists, they backed out, but called their army buddies to argue their case. Immediately several army vehicles appeared on the scene.
soldiers, arriving in army jeeps confronting Ta'ayush activists, on July 14, 2017. Havat Omer in the distance
Ta'ayush alerted the police, and the officer who arrived, understood that the disputed fields were quite a distance from the outpost. The Civil Administration officer who also appeared, seemed to concur, and ultimately the soldiers started to withdraw.
For a while, at least, it looks like the Palestinians will be able to let their herds graze in peace. And indeed, little by little, they started to feel more confident, venturing to a more distant tree.
In the Jordan Valley heat of over 40 degrees centigrade, the Palestinian herders set out at sunrise, accompanied by Ta'ayush. By nine o'clock in the morning, the sheep were thirsty. As the shepherds have not been able to bring water barrels for their flock to this disputed territory, they had no choice but to return to their village to drink.
Ta'ayush will continue to accompany the Palestinian herders until it will be absolutely clear to all that they can access their grazing lands without fear.
