"The village was one of the last Palestinian herding communities in this part of the Jordan Valley, but now, the herders' sheep have gone — most of them stolen or poisoned by settlers or sold off by villagers under pressure. Their water has been cut off — the Ras Ein spring declared off-limits by the neighbouring settlers for the past year."
"And for the past two weeks, most of the community's homes have been dismantled. Many of the families forced out have burned their furniture before they have left, not wanting to leave it for the invading settlers to use. By God, it's a difficult feeling, Ghawanmeh says. He is at a loss for words, fidgeting by the fire and at times rubbing his face in misery and exhaustion. Everyone left. Not one of them [remains]. They all left."
"Since the start of this year, about 450 of the 650 Palestinian inhabitants of Ras Ein al-Auja have fled their homes — for many the only place they have ever lived — because of violence by Israeli settlers. Other than the 14 Ghawanmeh families, including a large number of children, who say they have nowhere else to go, the rest are packing up and leaving in the coming days."
Ras Ein al-Auja, a Palestinian Bedouin village in the eastern West Bank's Jericho governorate, has been largely emptied by sustained Israeli settler attacks and intimidation. Settlers have stolen or poisoned most herders' sheep, cut off access to the Ras Ein spring, and prompted villagers to sell livestock under pressure. Over the past two weeks many homes were dismantled and families burned furniture before leaving to prevent settlers using it. Since the start of the year about 450 of 650 residents have fled; only 14 Ghawanmeh families with numerous children remain and say they have nowhere else to go. Settler arrivals have elicited taunting celebrations.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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