<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<h1 class="article-title">Jordan Valley Villagers Call for
International Help</h1>
<div class="article-subtitledetails">
<span class="article-details">
<span class="article-detail"><img class="icon"
src="cid:part1.08080104.07060907@freedomarchives.org"
alt="author"> Wednesday May 06, 2015 12:39</span><span
class="article-detail"><img class="icon"
src="cid:part2.05030408.06000209@freedomarchives.org"
alt="author"> by Alternative Information Center (AIC)</span></span>
<br>
<b><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.imemc.org/article/71482">http://www.imemc.org/article/71482</a></small></small></b><br>
</div>
<blockquote class="article-intro">Besieged Palestinian communities
in the occupied West Bank's <a
href="http://www.imemc.org/newswire?search_text=jordan+valley&button=Search+%3E%3E"
target="_blank">Jordan Valley</a> have called on the
international community to immediately intervene to halt Israeli
military training in the area, which has already resulted in the
temporary deportation of residents from four villages from their
homes and threatens the future livelihood of these communities.</blockquote>
<p class="article">Massive Israeli military training in the northern
Jordan Valley began on Sunday, with forces using live ammunition
around the homes and farms of Palestinian communities. The army
ordered residents from four villages to leave their homes for the
duration of the training (until Thursday): 18 families from Humsa,
30 families from Hammamaat al Maleh, 5 families from Frush Beit
Dejan and 13 families from Ibziq.<br>
<br>
The families have not been given anywhere to stay, nor have they
been given any type of support. Most of the deported families have
babies and small children.<br>
<br>
Families in the village of Al Hadidiya were told that they may
have to move for some of this period, although they were given no
official documents.<br>
<br>
“One of the greatest fears of local Palestinians is that land in
the area will be set fire to - many of them have fields of wheat
that are just due to be harvested, and this could destroy their
entire crops”, says Rashid Sawafta, coordinator of the local group
Jordan Valley Solidarity. “If scrub land is burnt by the army it
will devastate the grazing land of cow, sheep and goat farmers”,
Sawafta added.<br>
<br>
“These are very real fears. On 28 April a similar military
exercise in the same area of Humsa Fouqa...resulted in the
destruction of 3,000 to 4,000 dunams of crops and trees after the
shootings and ammunitions of the Israeli army started fire on the
land and Palestinian firefighter crews were prevented from
reaching the area.”<br>
<br>
Deported residents, almost all of whom make a living from farming
and livestock, will further be unable to provide food and ensure
adequate shelter for their sheep, goats and other animals.<br>
<br>
Jordan Valley Solidarity has called on the international community
to take immediate action to protect the affected communities. In
its appeal, JVS notes that the Israeli military actions are
“tantamount to ethnic cleansing in that it directly puts pressure
on Palestinian families to leave the area and not return.”<br>
<br>
<i><b><a
href="http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/special-reports/area-c/736-xxx"
target="_blank">More photos</a> from Jordan Valley
Solidarity at AIC.</b></i> </p>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>