Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem claimed on Tuesday that 47 Palestinian families are at risk of expulsion from their homes in the West Bank's northern Jordan Valley.
The left-wing organization claimed that settler extremists, alongside with the IDF, cut off the water supply for 300 people in Ras al-Ahmar, At-Tha'ala, and the area east of Atuf.
IDF sources told The Jerusalem Post that the circumstances differ for each family involved in the case, with many or all of the families living in the area having built their homes illegally in Area C of the West Bank.
The military says the families should not have built their homes in those areas, that each case is currently proceeding through the legal system, and that the project that may be affecting the water in the area is being carried out for security reasons.
"The purpose of the project is operational control that will make it possible to prevent the smuggling of weapons, thwart security threats to the State of Israel and terrorist incidents in the Jordan Valley area," the military said in a statement.
The water shortage, which B'Tselem blamed on the IDF, is reportedly making it difficult for families to remain in the area, particularly those who primarily make a living through agriculture and sheep rearing.
According to the organization's announcement, damaged water infrastructure is also threatening the viability of thousands of dunams of agricultural land.
IDF believes Palestinians at risk of evacuation built houses illegally
IDF sources did not confirm or deny the allegations regarding the water supply. Instead, sources told the Post that the IDF is currently undertaking a digging project in the area for security reasons.
According to the sources, three years ago the military established a dividing wall between Palestinian and Israeli settlements in the area, which failed to improve the security situation.
"There is a sectoral history of terrorist acts in the area, including shooting attacks as well as other events that have claimed the lives of both soldiers and civilians," the IDF stated, adding that the two most notable cases were the attacks involving the Deutsch and the Dee families.
Because the IDF is now digging to create even larger barriers, some damage to the water infrastructure in the area is possible, but sources insisted that no one should be living there in the first place.
"It should be clarified that the work is being carried out in accordance with the latest court decision in the petition, which allows the start of work on most sections of the barrier, with certain restrictions, particularly concerning the demolition of buildings," the IDF said.
'Intent to displace Palestinian communities'
B'Tselem claimed that attacks on water infrastructure in the region are carried out with the express intent of displacing Palestinian communities as part of an effort to expand settlements in the West Bank.
"Bulldozers uprooted olive trees, destroyed crops and greenhouses, ruined kilometers of water and irrigation lines, and damaged agricultural areas that provide a livelihood for dozens of workers," the organization said in a statement, adding that the water shortage enables the de facto annexation of thousands of acres of land held by Palestinians.
"The route of the barrier, announced by the army about a year ago, stretches for approximately 22 kilometers from Ein Shibli to the Tyasir checkpoint area, passing through the lands of Khirbet Atuf, Ras al-Ahmar, Khirbet Yarza, and other communities."