Ein al-Auja: How settler attacks and water diversion erased a Palestinian community

What Happened

The Bedouin community of Ein al-Auja, located north of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, has been effectively displaced following a combination of water source diversion and increased settler violence. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), settler attacks in the area rose to at least 38 documented cases in 2024, compared to only two between 2017 and 2023. Residents report that armed settlers and Israeli troops have restricted access to the Ein al-Auja spring, damaged water infrastructure, and intimidated herders, forcing families to relocate to areas like al-Balqa. Environmental researcher Ayman Abu Zaher attributes the drying of the spring to the deepening of four state-managed wells by Israeli authorities to depths of nearly 1,000 metres, which extract four to six million cubic metres of water annually for use in Israeli settlements.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The displacement of the Ein al-Auja community illustrates the intersection of resource control and settler expansion in the Jordan Valley. The diversion of water from the deep aquifer to settlements, coupled with the establishment of new illegal outposts, has accelerated the desertification of Palestinian agricultural land and the forced migration of Bedouin populations, a trend that observers note has intensified since the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Watch For

Monitor further reports from OCHA regarding the establishment of new settlement outposts in the Jordan Valley and any potential legal or humanitarian interventions concerning the management of the deep aquifer water resources.