Several years ago, it was unusual to see a shepherd wearing a Jewish kippah grazing sheep and cattle in the plains and mountains of the occupied West Bank. However, that scene has changed, and now the invading shepherd controls the pastures, dictates the fate of Palestinian shepherds, and threatens their lives and resources.

East of the town of Aqraba, south of Nablus, vast expanses of pasture land are frequented by livestock herders searching for feed for their sheep. They live in small communities known as “Kherabs,” which include settlements and animal pens, such as Kherbet “Yanon” and Kherbet “Tawil.”

For decades, Palestinian herders have managed to withstand attempts by the Israeli occupation to expel them from their pastures using various methods. However, pastoral settlement has imposed a painful reality that threatens their continued presence and survival in these pastures.

Rashed Marar, the head of the Yanon Village Council, confirms that there is no longer any land available for grazing livestock in Yanon, as settlers and the Israeli army have taken control of 90% of its 16,500 dunams of land.

Marar notes that Yanon is now surrounded on all sides by settlements, and all pastures have been entirely taken over.

Due to the divisions stipulated by the Oslo Accords, Yanon consists of two population centers: Yanon North, classified as Area C, which houses 5 families totaling 23 people, and Yanon South, classified as Area B, with 45 residents.

Marar says, “The army and settlers prevent us from grazing our livestock on our lands, claiming they are military zones and training areas, which then quickly turn into agricultural and residential areas for settlers.”

While the people of Yanon are barred from letting their livestock graze, settlers bring their own livestock to graze on these lands and in olive groves, consuming the branches and fruits.

In this challenging reality, livestock owners struggle to continue. The ban on grazing forces them to rely entirely on expensive commercial feed, pushing them to gradually reduce their herds.

Marar explains, “In Yanon, we depend on agriculture and livestock, but only the plain area remains available for farming, and what remains of the olive fields is off-limits. Last season, we were prevented from harvesting the olives.”

He points out that livestock is the primary source of income for Yanon’s residents, used to cover expenses such as education and healthcare.

Marar adds that the number of livestock in Yanon North has dropped to only 280 heads, and if the current situation continues, not a single head of sheep will remain.

He says, “I currently have 100 sheep, down from 150 previously. The reason is that I periodically sell part of the flock to buy feed for the remaining sheep.”

The harassment and threats imposed by the occupation and settlers in Yanon extend beyond the livestock to the residents themselves, as they are primarily targeted by these practices to force them to leave.

Among these harassments are the impromptu checkpoints set up on the road between Yanon and the town of Aqraba, manned by military vehicles, but the soldiers are settlers in military uniforms who detain and mistreat residents, preventing them from passing through.

Marar says, “We are in a real prison for both the residents and the livestock. There is no safety in moving in or out of Yanon.”

Settlers also intentionally drive “tractor” vehicles during day and night to provoke and intimidate the residents.

Settlement encroachment continues on the land of Kherbet Tawil, and recently, the settlement known as 777 has been legalized and renamed “Givat Arnon,” extending into the Jordan Valley.

Land reclamation and the construction of settler roads that cut through olive fields and pastures continue, with mobile homes (“caravans”) being installed, while the people of Yanon are prohibited from building or even placing a sheet of metal.

Marar explains, “Young people who want to marry have to go to Aqraba to look for housing because building in Yanon North is not allowed.”

He points out that this situation has caused most Yanon families to live outside of it. While there are 5 families in Yanon North, there are 25 families from Yanon residing in Aqraba, displaced due to the harassment and attacks by the occupation and settlers and the ban on building.

In Kherbet Tawil, east of Aqraba, the scene is similarly grim and violent. In just one month this spring, three shepherds were killed by settlers’ gunfire.

In March of this year, Fakhir Basem Bani Jaber was martyred, and in April, two young men, Abdul Rahman Maher Bani Fadel and Mohamed Ashraf Bani Jame, were martyred after settlers attacked them in an attempt to prevent them from grazing their sheep.

Salah Bani Jaber, the head of Aqraba Municipality, considers what is happening in Kherbet Tawil and other areas in the Jordan Valley and Shafa Al-Ghor to be an expression of settlers’ power, supported by the occupation forces against unarmed farmers and shepherds.

He says, “What is happening in Kherbet Tawil is a systematic process involving various elements of the occupation state. The Civil Administration issues demolition orders and carries out demolitions, the army confiscates thousands of dunams, and settlers carry out attacks on citizens.”

He confirms that what is known as “pastoral settlement” continues to expand in Area C, aiming to control more land in the Jordan Valley and empty it of its inhabitants.