The Jordan Valley...the breadbasket of the West Bank

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A narrow strategic sector, extending east of the West Bank along its border with Jordan, representing about 30% of its area, and constituting strategic and economic importance for it, as it is its food basket, its only international border, and its outlet to the world.

The Israeli occupation has devoted its settlement policies in the Jordan Valley, with the aim of displacing the Palestinians from their lands and seizing the entire region in order to monopolize its wealth and maintain a strategic security depth as its eastern line of defense.

Location and geography

The Jordan Valley is located in the east of the West Bank along the border with Jordan, and extends from “Ein Gedi” (Dead Sea) in the south to “Tal Makhhouz” on the border of Bisan in the north, and from the Jordan River in the east to the eastern slopes of the West Bank in the west.

It is a narrow strip, about 120 kilometers long, and its width ranges between 5 and 25 kilometers. Its area is about 2,400 square kilometers, equivalent to about 30% of the total area of ​​the West Bank. It is a low, fertile plain that is considered part of the Afro-Asian Crater.

The Jordan Valley includes 27 established Palestinian communities, in addition to dozens of pastoral and Bedouin communities. The region is divided into 3 sections: the Northern Jordan Valley region, which belongs to Tubas Governorate, the Middle Jordan Valley region, which belongs to Nablus Governorate, and the Southern Jordan Valley region, which belongs to Jericho Governorate.

the climate

The climate of the Jordan Valley ranges from desert in the south of Jericho to semi-desert in the center up to Tiberias. It enjoys moderate temperatures in winter, reaching 20 degrees Celsius, and the temperature rises in summer on the coast of the Dead Sea to reach 49 degrees Celsius.

Precipitation rates vary. In desert areas, they are less than 200 mm, while in the central and northern regions, they range between 200 and 400 mm.

Importance

The Jordan Valley represents strategic importance to the West Bank, as it is a vital space that constitutes the only international border of the West Bank with Jordan and the world, as it provides outlets for trade and foreign travel. Without it, the West Bank would become completely besieged by Israel.

The Israeli occupation aspires to control the region and take it as its eastern border, to maintain a strategic security depth as its eastern line of defense.

The Jordan Valley is also of economic importance, as it is a fertile agricultural area that constitutes about 50% of the agricultural land in the West Bank. It is characterized by an abundance of water, as its basin is one of the most important water basins in Palestine, as it contains about half of the groundwater sources.

The importance of the valley in the agricultural field is increased by the fact that it forms a natural agricultural greenhouse due to the high temperatures there in winter, so that it can be grown throughout the year with various crops, and this feature has made it the food basket of the West Bank, in addition to the fact that it includes approximately half of the pastoral areas and 40% of the livestock. Palestinian.

The Jordan Valley includes large unexploited areas, making it a reserve area for the agricultural and cultural development of the West Bank, the establishment of infrastructure facilities in the fields of energy and industry, and the construction of new metropolises.

The region has a relatively low population density, which allows it to accommodate the natural demographic growth of the population of the West Bank. It is also capable of receiving numbers of Palestinian refugees wishing to return to the homeland in the event of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Population

The Israeli occupation brought about a major demographic change in the region after 1967 by building Israeli settlements and encouraging settlers to move there.

On the other hand, Israel displaced the Palestinians from their lands, and their number decreased greatly. Their number in the Jordan Valley is about 65 thousand people, and about 11 thousand settlers reside in its settlements.

the date

The Jordan Valley has been home to human settlements since the early Stone Age, and in the city of Jericho, archaeological evidence indicates the presence of civilizations dating back to the seventh and sixth millennia BC, and the region preserves traces of many civilizations and peoples who succeeded it, such as the Hyksos, Canaanites, and Edomites.

The Jordan Valley came under Roman rule in 64 BC, and the region’s fame increased with the visit of the Prophet Jesus to it, while the spread of Christianity there was delayed until the era of Constantine the Great, when churches and monasteries were built, and the city of Jericho became a center for the bishopric, then the Byzantines took control of it until the year 637, when the era began. Islamic.

In 1920, Palestine entered the British Mandate, and following Britain’s withdrawal and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the West Bank - including the Jordan Valley - was annexed to the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Israeli occupation

Israel occupied the Jordan Valley in 1967, and immediately after its occupation, it declared the areas adjacent to the Jordan River - which have an area of ​​about 400,000 dunams - closed military zones in which Palestinians are prohibited from engaging in agricultural, urban, or any other activity. It established 90 military sites and emptied Palestinian communities of their residents. Completely, and displaced more than 50 thousand Palestinians from the Jordan Valley.

It also seized large areas in the region under different names, such as “state lands,” “military areas,” “natural reserves,” or “municipal areas of influence.” Then it began converting the confiscated lands into settlements, and during the 1980s it worked to encourage the Israelis to Moving there, resulting in the expansion of settlements and an increase in their population.

Since the occupation, Israel has sought to intensify settlement in the Jordan Valley, and to support settlement outposts established on the ruins of Palestinian villages and ruins. Many plans have been proposed to support settlement there, such as the “Alon Plan,” which began implementation in the late 1960s, and the “Droubles Plan.” In 1978, and the “Sharon Plan” in 1982, many infrastructure projects were also proposed, such as the construction of an airport, the “high-speed train” line, the construction of “Route 90,” and other projects aimed at expanding settlement, tightening control over the Jordan Valley, and annexing it completely to the rest of the occupied territories.

The Jordan Valley includes about 37 settlements, the majority of which are agricultural, established on about 12,000 dunums, in addition to approximately 60,000 dunums attached to them. Most of the settlements in the Jordan Valley are affiliated with the regional settlement councils known as “Arvot Haerden” and “Megilot,” and dozens of others are also spread throughout the region. Israeli settlement outposts and military barracks.

Oslo Accords 1993

Following the Oslo Accords, the Jordan Valley was divided into 3 sections: “A” areas, which are subject to the control of the Palestinian National Authority, and amount to 7.4% of the total area of ​​the Jordan Valley, and “B” Areas, which are a joint sharing area between the Authority and Israel, and amount to 4.3% of the Jordan Valley area. Area C is absolutely controlled by Israel, and constitutes the vast majority of the region, 88.3%.

The areas classified as “A” and “B” areas, which are the lands in which towns inhabited by Palestinians are located - including the city of Jericho - have become geographically separate areas, isolated from each other, and surrounded by areas classified as “C” areas.

The occupation forces seized most of the lands of the Jordan Valley, and used them for settlement and military purposes. They seized natural resources, seized water sources, and prevented the Palestinians from reaching 85% of their lands. They also prevented them from digging wells and using groundwater, and also hindered their use of the lands for grazing. Or agriculture.

The occupation authorities prevented Palestinians from carrying out any type of urban development, including building houses, constructing public buildings, facilities, and facilities related to agricultural, industrial, and commercial activities. They also do not allow the establishment of infrastructure and basic services, such as roads, water networks, and schools, which means preventing any development renaissance. In the region.

The Palestinians - who are cramped in their homes and prevented from exploiting their lands - are forced to build without permits from the occupation authorities, and then the authorities issue orders to demolish the buildings, some of which are actually implemented, while others remain under threat of demolition at any time.

According to data from the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights (B'Tselem), the occupation authorities demolished at least 698 housing units in the Jordan Valley area between 2006 and 2017, and some of those affected had their homes demolished at least twice, and hundreds of buildings that were established for the purposes of economic activity, infrastructure, and development were demolished. .

The occupation is working to isolate the Jordan Valley from other areas of the West Bank, and from daily economic and social life, as it restricts the movement of residents of the Jordan Valley through security barriers, subjects them to strict procedures, checks their identities before entering, and restricts entry permits to residents of the region.

Restriction on pastoral gatherings

The occupation authorities prevent the residents of pastoral communities - who are estimated at about 10,000 Palestinians, and live in more than 50 population centers (settlements) in Area C - from building legally, refuse to provide them with water and electricity services, and confiscate the tanks that supply them with water, and the pipes that They transport spring water, commandeer tractors and other farming equipment and solar panels that provide them with a minimum of electricity.

The occupation forces repeatedly demand that residents of pastoral communities located on lands declared “firing zones” evacuate for a period ranging from a few hours to two days, under the pretext that the army needs to conduct military training, which causes hardship to families who are forced to evacuate the place with their children and livestock in search of shelter, especially Some evacuations take place in the winter under harsh weather conditions, and the exercises sometimes cause damage to the fields.

Settlers began to practice on a daily basis, under the auspices of the authorities, acts of violence against residents of Palestinian communities, which include sabotaging agricultural crops, storming communities at night, stealing livestock, sabotaging and burning property, physical assault, seizing wells and water springs belonging to Palestinians, and other provocative actions.

Through all of these policies, the occupation forces aim to put pressure on the Palestinians with the aim of destabilizing the economy and creating a difficult living reality that pushes them - especially residents of pastoral communities - to leave their homes and lands.

After the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood

Following the Al-Aqsa Flood Battle - launched by the Palestinian resistance on October 7, 2023 on the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip - Israel intensified its pressure on dozens of Palestinian herding communities in the northern Jordan Valley, to force residents to leave their homes and lands, as it reduced the area of ​​pastures available to them and prevented regular supply. With water, it isolated the area from the rest of the West Bank, and forced the displacement of many communities.

Moreover, the Jordan Valley Regional Council confiscated the Palestinians’ herds of livestock on the grounds that they were “stray animals,” and then demanded that the farmers pay compensation estimated at approximately 200,000 shekels ($55,600) in exchange for transporting the livestock and caring for them.

The occupation forces also tightened their procedures at the checkpoints leading to the area after the war, forcing Palestinians to stand in long lines to undergo inspection and examination procedures, especially those who came from other areas, including teachers, doctors, and others, in addition to Palestinians heading to Jordan through the Karama crossing.

On March 22, 2024, the Israeli authorities announced the confiscation of 8,000 dunams in the Jordan Valley in the area located on the eastern slopes of the West Bank, to establish hundreds of settlement units and establish an area for industry, trade, and employment.

This is the largest area that Israel has announced its confiscation since the Oslo Accords, according to the Israeli “Peace Now” anti-settlement movement.

Economy

Most of the economic activity of the Palestinians in the Jordan Valley is based on agriculture, and the occupation policies have greatly hampered its success by seizing agricultural lands and water sources, repeated closures, preventing Palestinian farmers from reaching their lands and workers to their places of work, imposing isolation on the region, and preventing the access of agricultural products from the Jordan Valley to Palestinian markets.

The occupation authorities also weakened pastoral activity by monopolizing pastures, preventing and obstructing urban development linked to industrial and commercial activity, and deprived Palestinians of access to the Dead Sea and the development of an important source of income and employment, which prevented a development renaissance in the region and weakened Palestinian economic activity in general.

On the other hand, agriculture flourished in the settlements of the region due to the facilities and incentives, especially palm cultivation, which produces high-quality dates that the occupation exports abroad and generates millions of dollars, in addition to the cultivation of flowers, vegetables, bananas, medicinal herbs, and animal husbandry.

The Israeli authorities controlled stone and mineral quarries, seized archaeological sites - especially in the area surrounding Jericho - such as the Qumran Caves, Ain El Fashkha Reserve, and Wadi Qelt, and were able to develop commercial projects in the field of minerals, tourism, and other profitable sectors.

Highlights

The Jordan Valley embraced ancient civilizations that left more than 89 prominent archaeological sites, the most famous of which are:

• Tell al-Sultan: The oldest walled agricultural city in the world, its history extends to more than 8 thousand years. It contains archaeological remains of a human settlement dating back to the ninth and eighth millennia BC. The ruins reveal the presence of a large Canaanite city in the Middle Bronze Age. The site has been included in the list of the United Nations. Education and Culture (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 2023.

• Deir al-Qartal: Located west of Jericho, it was built in the fourth century AD on Mount Qartal. It contains a church and is considered an architectural masterpiece because part of it is suspended in the air, and some of it is carved into the rock.

• Hisham bin Abdul Malik Palace: It was built in 743 AD during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham bin Abdul Malik. It has the largest continuous mosaic floor, and includes a number of important facilities, such as the fountain area, two mosques, a reception hall, and a thermal bath. It was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2020.

• Herod's Palace: It is located east of the city of Bethlehem. It was built in the Roman era on a peak 830 meters above sea level overlooking the city of Jerusalem. It was built by King Herod, and he chose it as a place for his burial. The palace includes an arched staircase, a lobby, and a theatre.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites