Dozens of Palestinian Bedouin families from the village of Ras Ein el-Auja in the central West Bank have fled their homes in recent days, saying daily harassment and violent incursions by nearby Jewish settlers have made life unbearable. Rights groups and residents report that at least 26 families left on Thursday, with more preparing to depart as tensions and attacks intensify in the region.
Ras Ein el-Auja — home to roughly 700 people from more than 100 families for decades — has seen increased pressure from settlers in unauthorized outposts, who residents allege regularly enter homes, threaten livestock, and intimidate inhabitants. Neighbors described settlers arriving on foot, by tractor, and on horseback, intruding on property and disrupting daily life, prompting families to dismantle their structures and seek safety elsewhere.
Human rights groups, including B’Tselem, say this movement fits a broader pattern of settler-linked violence and displacement across the West Bank’s Jordan Valley, where some communities have already been emptied over recent months. Displaced residents are now scattered across other areas of the territory, with some selling livestock and trying to rebuild their lives amid an uncertain future.
Israeli authorities and military officials have not issued immediate comments in response to the exodus or settler actions in Ras Ein el-Auja. — news as reported.
