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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-water-war-in-al-auja-how-illegal-settlers-are-strangling-jerichos-lifeline/">palestinechronicle.com</a>
<div class="gmail-domain-border"></div><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">The Water War in Al-Auja: How Illegal Settlers are Strangling Jericho\u2019s Lifeline</h1>December 22, 2025</div>
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<img src="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Wadi-Al-Auja_Spring_WIKI.png" alt="" title="Wadi Al-Auja_Spring_WIKI" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" width="408" height="274" style="margin-right: 25px;">
The Wadi Al-Auja spring near Jericho. (Photo: \u0628\u062f\u0627\u0631\u064a\u0646, via Wikimedia Commons)
<p><strong>By <a href="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/writers/fahya-shalash" title="Display all articles for Fayha Shalash - Ramallah">Fayha Shalash \u2013 Ramallah</a></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<h3><span>As illegal Israeli Jewish settlers seize control of the
Al-Auja spring near Jericho, Palestinians face a deepening \u201cwater war\u201d
that threatens livelihoods, agriculture, and their continued presence in
the Jordan Valley.</span></h3>
</blockquote>
<p><span>For 45 years, Naif Ghawanmeh has lived in the Al-Auja area near
Jericho in the occupied West Bank. Yet the past few months have been
the most difficult he and his family have ever endured, as settler
attacks have intensified and water has been systematically stolen from
the area\u2019s most vital resource: the Al-Auja spring.</span></p>
<p><span>Al-Auja is one of the most prominent natural springs in Jericho
and the Jordan Valley. Since ancient times, it has served as a critical
source of water for the region.</span></p>
<p><span>The spring is known for its seasonal abundance, with water flow
increasing during the winter and spring months. This seasonal cycle has
long supported the irrigation of vast surrounding agricultural lands,
particularly date palm groves and vegetable farms.</span></p>
<p><span>Historically, Al-Auja played a central role in Palestinian
life, enabling the development of agricultural communities and
sustaining the economic and environmental balance of the Jordan Valley.</span></p>
<p><span>In recent years, however, the spring has come under repeated
attack by illegal Israeli Jewish settlers. These attacks have included
the seizure of land surrounding the spring, restrictions on Palestinian
access, and the establishment of settlements and outposts along its
course.</span></p>
<p><span>As a result, the amount of water available to Palestinian
farmers has sharply declined, undermining agricultural activity\u2014the
primary livelihood for residents of the area.</span></p>
<p><span>The seizure of Al-Auja constitutes a clear violation of
Palestinian water rights and threatens the long-term sustainability of a
natural resource that has sustained the Jordan Valley for decades.</span></p>
<p><b>Unrelenting Attacks</b></p>
<p><span>Ghawanmeh is one of approximately 700 Palestinians, 120
families, living in the Al-Auja Waterfall area, all of whom face an
ongoing, systematic campaign of displacement.</span></p>
<p><span>He explained that settler attacks have continued for many
years, initially aimed at preventing Palestinians from grazing their
livestock. Over the past two years, however\u2014coinciding with Israel\u2019s war
on Gaza\u2014these attacks have increased by more than 200 percent and now
affect every aspect of daily life.</span></p>
<p><span>\u201cIllegal settlers have established two new outposts near us,
and their attacks have intensified,\u201d Ghawanmeh told the Palestine
Chronicle. \u201cFor the past year and seven months, we have been unable to
take our livestock out to pasture because of the severity of the
violence.\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>For nearly a year, illegal Israeli Jewish settlers have barred
Palestinians from approaching the Al-Auja spring after taking control of
it. They have also diverted and cut off the water flow, effectively
depriving local residents of access altogether.</span></p>
<p><span>The Al-Auja waterfall once sustained the community by
irrigating crops and watering livestock. It was also a major
recreational site for West Bank residents, who are otherwise denied
access to the Mediterranean Sea.</span></p>
<p><span>\u201cWe used the water from Al-Auja for everything\u2014washing,
drinking, and caring for our animals,\u201d Ghawanmeh said. \u201cNow, even though
we live beside the spring, we are forced to buy water from Jericho. One
tank costs 250 shekels (around $78) and barely lasts two weeks.\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>In addition to denying Palestinians access to the spring,
settlers have repeatedly attacked water tanks purchased by residents.
Anyone who attempts to intervene is arrested by the Israeli army.</span></p>
<p><span>Several months ago, more than 200 settlers, under the
protection of Israeli soldiers and police, stormed the area and stole
1,500 sheep\u2014an act widely seen as part of an effort to force
Palestinians to permanently leave so the land can be seized.</span></p>
<p><span>\u201cFor ten years, we have endured settler violence,\u201d Ghawanmeh
told us. \u201cThey vandalize our vehicles and assault us, while the Israeli
army arrests us for the smallest pretexts.\u201d</span></p>
<p><b>The Water War</b></p>
<p><span>During a recent visit to the Al-Auja spring that sparked
widespread outrage, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich\u2014known for
his extreme right-wing positions\u2014was seen greeting illegal Israeli
Jewish settlers and praising their takeover of land and water resources
in the area.</span></p>
<p><span>He described the situation as \u201cthe results of your wonderful
work,\u201d a statement Palestinians viewed as both provocative and a clear
signal of official Israeli support for the seizure of Palestinian
resources rather than their protection.</span></p>
<p><span>For Palestinians, Smotrich\u2019s remarks amount to explicit
political backing for expanding settler control and displacing local
communities. The visit deepened fears of losing homes, farmland, and
livelihoods throughout the Jordan Valley.</span></p>
<p><span>Ghawanmeh said the visit was particularly demoralizing,
highlighting the absence of support from the Palestinian Authority while
Israeli settlers receive full backing from their government.</span></p>
<p><span>According to a report by the National Bureau for Defending the
Land and Resisting Settlements, Israel controls more than 84 percent of
Palestinian water resources in the West Bank and continues to escalate
efforts to seize remaining water sources, creating severe shortages
across Palestinian cities and villages.</span></p>
<p><span>The report states that Israel has demolished at least 500
water-harvesting wells in the West Bank. Approximately 52 percent of
Palestinian water resources are exploited for Israeli use, while around
32 percent are diverted to settlements\u2014leaving Palestinians with just 16
percent of their own water supply.</span></p>
<p><span>Abdul Nasser Makki, a specialist in settlement and land
affairs, described the Al-Auja waterfall area as a strategically vital
agricultural zone.</span></p>
<p><span>\u201cThousands of visitors once came to Al-Auja, revitalizing the
area and reinforcing its Palestinian identity,\u201d Makki told the Palestine
Chronicle. \u201cSeizing it means confiscating hundreds of dunams of land,
both within the site itself and across surrounding areas.\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>Makki explained that illegal Israeli Jewish settlers now face
virtually no deterrence\u2014a trend that accelerated after Israel\u2019s
far-right government took office in 2022, alongside US policies that
effectively gave settlers the green light to annex Area C, which makes
up more than 64 percent of the West Bank.</span></p>
<p><span>\u201cThe Al-Auja waterfall is a crucial water source for local
residents and the hundreds of dunams they cultivate,\u201d he said.
\u201cControlling the waterfall means controlling the crops.\u201d</span></p>
<p><span>Al-Auja is just one of many water sources in the Jordan Valley
that have been seized to serve 39 agricultural settlements and dozens of
kibbutzim, as part of a broader strategy to dominate what remains of
Palestinian water resources.</span></p>
<p><span>\u201cThis means Palestinian agriculture will continue to decline,\u201d
Makki concluded, \u201cand Palestinians will become entirely dependent on
Israeli agriculture.\u201d</span></p>
<p><em>(The Palestine Chronicle)</em></p>
<div>
<p><br></p>
<p><span><em>\u2013 Fayha\u2019</em><em> Shalash is a Ramallah-based Palestinian
journalist. She graduated from Birzeit University in 2008 and she has
been working as a reporter and broadcaster ever since. Her articles
appeared in several online publications. She contributed this article to
The Palestine Chronicle.</em></span></p></div>
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