The settlers' next prize

"In the blistering summer heat, Farhan Ghawanmeh, 33, is struggling to keep his Bedouin community alive. Deprived of reliable electricity, water and access to the land that its members rely on for their livelihood in the eastern West Bank, the community is on the brink of collapse. The community once owned about 24,000 head of livestock as part of its herding way of life."

"Now, it is left with about 3,000. Pens once containing hundreds of sheep and goats are empty after a series of killings and thefts of livestock and rounds of sell-offs by herders desperate for infusions of cash. The newest Israeli settler outpost was built in August just 100 metres (110 yards) from the nearest Palestinian family. The outposts in the area now hem in the village's approximately 900 inhabitants on three sides."

"Like all Israeli outposts and settlements on occupied Palestinian land, these are illegal under international law. The family located closest to the new outpost is planning to leave, fearing for the lives of their children. The settlers, mimicking the shepherding lifestyle of the indigenous Bedouin communities, come into the village with their livestock daily, according to Ghawanmeh, taking shifts from 6am to 9pm."

Ras Ein al-Auja's Bedouin community lacks reliable electricity, water and access to grazing land, placing livelihoods at severe risk. Livestock numbers fell from about 24,000 to roughly 3,000 after killings, thefts and forced sell-offs. New Israeli settler outposts now surround the village on three sides and sit as close as 100 metres from Palestinian homes. The proximity and daily presence of settler shepherds, often teenagers, constrain villagers' movements and raise fears of violence, legal accusations and displacement, prompting at least one family to consider leaving for the safety of their children.

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