Israeli army today morning carried out military drills in several areas in the northern Jordan Valley.
Sealed Off and Forgotten: What You Should Know about Israel’s ‘Firing Zones’ in the West Bank | Article by: @RamzyBaroud https://t.co/4MPdWvdML0
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) January 14, 2020
Aref Daraghmeh, a local activist, told WAFA that Israeli forces conducted drills in al-Farisiya, al-Burj, and Khirbet Samra villages, using live ammunition, tanks, and other military vehicles.
This came as Israeli troops chased Palestinian shepherds in the al-Burj village, and detained three.
# Photo of a Palestinian farmer in the Jordan Valley, under the threat of the occupation weapon pic.twitter.com/F3sYWMi3Pp
— Sarah Sarah (@SarahGaza0) February 8, 2020
The Jordan Valley covers an area of about 1.6 million dunams (1,600 km2) and constitutes around 30 percent of the total occupied West Bank. According to a previous government report, the Valley includes about 280,000 dunams of arable land, 50,000 of which are still used by Palestinians and 27,000 by illegal Jewish settlers.
The majority of the Jordan Valley is under full Israeli military control, despite being within the West Bank. Meanwhile, at least 44 percent of the total land in the Jordan Valley has been reappropriated by Israeli forces for military purposes and training exercises.
(Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
