Atil hails from the Palestinian village of Zanuta, a traditional herding community situated within the Jordan Valley.
Over the years, settlers from unauthorized Israeli settlements had continuously harassed and assaulted his village. However, the violence intensified sharply following Israel’s launch of what many describe as a “genocidal” conflict against Gaza.
“It suddenly felt as though we were in the midst of a war,” he confided to Al Jazeera via telephone.
“On a daily and nightly basis, the unlawful settlers endeavored to pilfer our sheep or vandalize our village by obliterating our possessions and vehicles,” added Atil, 45 years old.
Due to consistent settler attacks and harassment, the villagers of Zanuta, totaling 250 inhabitants, gradually abandoned their village and their longstanding way of life.
Atil gathered his belongings and left with his family following an incident where Israeli settlers assaulted a 77-year-old Palestinian shepherd towards the end of October 2023.
“They assaulted the aged man, his spouse, and children,” Atil conveyed. “It was the first time we witnessed such aggressive behavior from settlers.”
Targeted Vulnerabilities
According to Al-Haq, a Palestinian nonprofit entity, the inhabitants of Zanuta are among 46 Palestinian Bedouin communities dispossessed of their land by government-backed Israeli settlers since October 7, 2023, within the West Bank.
Shai Parnes, the spokesperson for B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, stated, “What is transpiring is not merely the actions of violent and radical settlers. This is state-sanctioned violence.”
At the inception of Israel’s war against Gaza, the country mobilized thousands of reservists for the conflict and substituted them with “extremist settlers,” as explained by Parnes.
“Settlers acquired weapons, munitions, and military attire following October 7,” Parnes said to Al Jazeera.
These settlers henceforth possessed the legal authority to kill and detain Palestinians.
All instances of dispossession transpired in Area C, characterized by sparse population yet abundance in agricultural resources.
Covering 60 percent of the West Bank, Area C is the largest of the three zonal divisions established under the Oslo Accords of 1993, intended to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Over the past three decades, the expanse and population of unlawful Israeli settlements in Area C have relentlessly expanded, rising from approximately 200,000 to more than 750,000 inhabitants.
Area C is under complete control of the Israeli army. This facilitates the surrounding and eviction of vulnerable Palestinian herder communities by settlers, who receive military support, as noted by Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.
‘Systemic Racism’
Palestinian Bedouins, including those who are Israeli citizens, are facing eviction from their lands, as reported by human rights organizations and activists.
Approximately 120,000 Palestinians reside in so-called “unrecognized villages” scattered across the Naqab Desert.
They are descendants of Palestinians who succeeded in staying on their land during the Nakba, when Zionist militias forcibly expelled around 750,000 Palestinians in 1948 to establish the State of Israel.
Despite claims by the Israeli government that Bedouin communities should relocate to cities, doing so would sever their ties with their land and threaten their traditional way of life.
Many Bedouin communities have staunchly maintained their right to remain on their land. However, Israel has traditionally contended that Bedouins are nomads without fixed roots.
According to Khalil Alamour, a Bedouin leader from the village Khan al-Sira, Bedouins ceased their nomadic habits over two centuries ago and consistently return to their land after seasonal migrations.
“Bedouins are inextricably tied to their land. We are an Indigenous people; we can’t simply be displaced elsewhere,” he asserted.
Conversely, Israel has declined to provide services to “unrecognized villages,” opting instead to evict residents from their homes and confiscate land, as pointed out by Alamour.
In November 2023, Israeli authorities demolished Umm al-Hiran, despite the agreement of the Bedouin inhabitants to coexist with Jewish settlers, as they informed Al Jazeera in February 2024.
“The violence against us forms part of a racially motivated policy against all Bedouins and the wider Palestinian community. And Bedouins belong to the Palestinian community,” Alamour informed Al Jazeera.
Legal Justification
Numerous herder communities in the West Bank have been uprooted multiple times since the Nakba.
Abu Bashar, the Palestinian mokhtar (mayor) of Wadi al-Seeq, mentioned that his community has experienced displacement four times since Israel’s inception.
The most recent occurrence happened in the days following October 7, when Israeli settlers stormed the community, instilling terror among its inhabitants.
Approximately 187 individuals—45 to 50 families—fled on foot, traversing hours before reaching Ramon village, where they continue to reside.
“Post October 7, settlers turned violent. They surrounded our village, accompanied by the army, which protected them and forcibly expelled us from our homes,” Abu Bashar recounted to Al Jazeera.
“Now we reside in tents and under trees, enduring dire living conditions in Ramon,” he lamented.
Over the past two years, the villagers of Wadi al-Seeq and Zanuta have filed legal actions against their expulsion.
Critics argue that resorting to Israeli courts, which lack jurisdiction over occupied territories according to international law, effectively validates Israel’s occupation.
According to human rights groups, the Israeli Supreme Court has played a crucial role in endorsing policies that infringe upon Palestinian rights, such as approving the demolition of Palestinian homes and entire villages.
“The Supreme Court serves as another mechanism to legitimize the Israeli occupation,” stated B’Tselem’s Shai Parnes.
Limited Alternatives
Despite the Supreme Court’s historical function, several Palestinian Bedouin communities have sought legal recourse.
Qamar Mashraki, a Palestinian lawyer representing Zanuta and other Bedouin communities forcibly removed from their lands, has won two cases to date.
In January 2024, the residents of Zanuta and Umm Dharit were informed of their legal right to return to their land.
“We must leverage every tool at our disposal as Palestinians,” Mashraki told Al Jazeera.
Nonetheless, Israeli settlers attacked returning families from Zanuta, thwarting their efforts to rebuild homes and tend to their animals, prompting many to flee again in September 2024.
With the assistance of Mashraki, Zanuta’s residents filed a second court petition demanding protection from Israeli settlers by Israeli authorities.
Last month, the court ruled that the army and police must safeguard the people of Zanuta, according to Atil, who added that families have returned to Zanuta with a sense of relative security.
Not all Bedouin communities share this fortune.
Many fear legal battles may result in the loss of their land and heritage.
Abu Bashar, from Wadi al-Seeq, stated that his community remains in anticipation of a Supreme Court ruling on their return to their land.
Regardless of any potential legal return, he worries about potential reattacks by settlers.
“The settlers have taken everything from us: our homes, our tractors, our water supply, and even our livestock,” he informed Al Jazeera.
“We are under siege.”
