Summary of Events:
December 29, 2024 – January 4, 2025
Settlers Mark Holiday with Violent Raids
on Shepherding Communities’ Homes
was quiet with no reported incidents.
morning, heavy rain fell in Ras al-’Ain. After it stopped, a flock of sheep and a herd of camels approached within dozens of meters of Musa’s home. Activists reported the situation to the Jordan Valley hotline, and about 15 minutes later, a military patrol arrived but took no visible action to drive the herd away.
In the afternoon, the settlers Yehuda Friedman, Eitam Zuaretz, and an unidentified young man led a flock of sheep into the Ras al-’Ain area.
12:00 PM: Activists were called to the Abu Taleb homes in western Ras al-’Ain, where a herd of camels was spotted being led by Malakhi Gueta, Yosef Zlatskin, and another unidentified young man. Gabriel Kalish, the security coordinator of “Mevo’ot Yericho,” was present with the three. The camel herd settled near the residents’ watering troughs and, urged on by the shepherds, moved closer to the homes. Kalish addressed activists from Mistaclim, fabricating a false narrative for the recording device he held: “You are driving the camels toward the houses, liars, what are you doing here?” A few minutes later, the herd and the settlers left.
At 5:30 PM, Kalish arrived with his security vehicle at the madafa (where the activists based). There were present two activists. He shone the vehicle’s lights directly at the spot where the activists were standing and harassed them. The activists asked him to leave, and after a few minutes, he left.
An hour later, a resident of Ma`arajat reported that 4–5 settlers had entered the village area and were lingering near the local school.
At 7:10 PM, a report was received stating that at least two settlers had entered a house near the school, sprayed the people inside with pepper spray, and assaulted a young man who was in the house. The young man went to the hospital for treatment. Kalish arrived at the scene. The events were documented. An activist reported the incident to the police.
At 8:00 PM, the activists identified intruders leaving one of the village homes, holding large stones that they aimed in a throwing posture at the activists. They then left the area and climbed to a ridge overlooking the village. A police patrol did not arrive as promised, and the police recommended filing an online complaint. During the incident, one of the intruders stole a mobile phone from one of the activists. Using Google’s location tracking app, the phone was traced to the Omer Atidia farm, from where it was then moved toward the farm of Zohar Sabach. A report was submitted to the police.
morning, a deliberately-placed blockage using stones was discovered in the water channel near the outpost of Avishai Horowitz. As a result of the blockage, the water supply to Ras al-‘Ain was disrupted.
At 3:30 PM, a flock of sheep coming from the illegal outpost invaded the area of Ras al-‘Ain homes. The sheep were seen eating animal feed belonging to Palestinian herders, while the young man from the outpost who led them there did nothing to move them. Kalish, the security coordinator of “Mevo’ot Yericho,” was present at the scene but did not intervene. Two calls to the hotline went unanswered.
Avishai Horowitz and a group of young men with him attacked activists who had arrived to prevent the water channel blockage near the outpost. The violent incident included kicking an activist in the legs, requiring medical attention, and a threatening confrontation with the two activists, accompanied by verbal threats and the blocking of the activists’ vehicle. The security coordinator of “Mevo’ot Yericho” was once again present at the scene but did not intervene to stop the attack. Instead, he focused on documenting the activists, again fabricating false narratives about their actions. The activists’ calls to the hotline were met with refusal to assist, as well as refusal to document the event in the logbook.
On Thursday, Israel Nature and Parks Authority personnel removed the blockage that had been identified on Wednesday in the water channel.
At the request of the residents of Ma`arajat, activists were stationed in the area overnight. Indeed, in the middle of the night, an ATV with settlers entered the village. However, there was no interaction between them and the activists or the residents.
at 2:55 PM, a young man from the outpost arrived at Ras al-‘Ain and led a flock of sheep within 50 meters of a Palestinian herder’s flock. The activists accompanying the Palestinian herder intervened to separate the flocks and called for assistance from the Jordan Valley Hotline, fearing the settler might intentionally mix the flocks. This is a common tactic used to file false complaints against Palestinian herders, accusing them of sheep theft. After the settler’s attempt failed, the herder and his flock returned to the outpost.
At 10:40 PM, night shift activists were called to assist residents in Ras al-‘Ain following an incident in which five young settlers threw stones at the village residents. As a result of the stone throwing, two young Palestinians suffered injuries to their limbs. The settlers fled the scene before the activists arrived.
at 9:00 AM, Zohar Sabach, the owner of an outpost located west of Ras al-‘Ain, was spotted driving his vehicle on the main road of Ras al-‘Ain. Half an hour later, two flocks of sheep invaded the village’s land in two different locations. Additionally, a camel herd was led from Avishai Horowitz’s outpost to the western area of the village houses.
One of the goat herds was led by its shepherd into the courtyards of the residents, while from the opposite direction, the camels approached the village houses. A Mistaclim activist reported for the fourth time to the Jordan Valley call center. Meanwhile, the herds stuck close to the fences of the houses and ate the twigs that the Palestinians had gathered for their needs. In the afternoon hours, a settler and his herd invaded West Ras al-‘Ain. They remained near the village houses for about an hour. No police or military forces arrived.
Near midnight, two activists sitting in their vehicle near the "Slide" in Ras al-‘Ain were detained by Kalish, this time wearing a Border Police uniform. The reason for the detention was unclear. About half an hour later, they were released.
morning, two flocks of sheep with settlers invaded the western part of Ras al-‘Ain. An hour later, a camel herd arrived and left after about an hour.
In the afternoon, the scene shifted to Ma`arajat. Zohar Sabach, who is on trial for his part in the attack on the village school in September, entered the settlement accompanied by two young settlers from the outpost and a large flock of goats and sheep. The settlers’ flock was led to the Palestinian sheep pen, where they ate the hay and straw stored there. Sabach emptied a water tank belonging to the village residents and kicked an Mistaclim activist.
A military vehicle arrived at the scene, where two female soldiers, wearing face masks, “suggested” to Sabach to consider moving the flock for “the benefit of the sheep, to make it easier for them.” The young man who arrived with Sabach became agitated and screamed as he ran around, documenting himself while shouting and fabricating a false narrative: “Don’t touch my sheep, they’re pregnant, don’t move the sheep.” Shortly after, Zohar Sabach and the flock left the area.
Back in Ras Al-Ain, a settler from the outpost entered with a flock of sheep into the grazing areas of the residents. A police vehicle was nearby, and an officer demanded the activists present their IDs. The officer did not take any action to assist in removing the flock and the settler from the village’s territory. The sheep and goats ate from the food intended for the Palestinian livestock. Kalish, the security coordinator of “Mevo`ot Yeriho,” was present at the scene, documenting the activists.
