73 structures - 26 housing structures (tents and tin sheds), 22 animal sheds, ten outhouses, seven outdoor stoves and eight cooking structures were demolished by the army and Border police.

The farmers were present on the scene when jeeps and bulldozers arrived at 7:00 this morning and went on to raze their living quarters for four consecutive hours.

The demolished structures were home to 21 families: a total of 107 people, including 52 children.

Today's demolitions are the latest in a series of recent demolitions in the Jordan Valley, echoing an order by Ehud Barak, the Israeli Minister of Defense, to increase demolitions of Palestinian construction in Area C.

Over the last few weeks dozens of demolition orders have been issued to Jordan Valley residents from the communities of Hadidye, Fursiye, alJiftlik, Ras elAhmar and Ein elHilwe by the Civil Administration and Israeli army. These, together with orders issued in previous years to these nomad residents of the Jordan Valley, are part of an ongoing campaign which promotes their expulsion.

On July 1st the dwellings (tents, sheds and animal sheds) of 15 families in Ras elAhmar (near the village of Aatuf) were razed by the IDF and Border Police. Around 150 people, most of them children, were left without a roof over their heads. Most of these same people have had their homes demolished for the third time in as many years.

At least 8 families of the Hadidya and Humsa area were handed demolition orders on June 21.

On 25.6.10 eight families from the El Fursiye area were ordered to leave within the following 24 hours. Consequently most of the residents left, if only temporarily, as their homes and animal sheds remain standing, awaiting their return. All these people live on land which is privately owned by residents of the town of Tubas, to whom they pay annual rent.

Many more such orders have been issued in the surrounding areas and more demolitions in the near future seem imminent.

Most of the land in the northern Jordan Valley which has not been confiscated by Israel for settlements and their surrounding security zones, has long since been declared "closed military zones" or "firing zones" by the Occupation Authorities. Thousands of dunams have been confiscated from Palestinian farmers and shepherds in this manner.

Most of these lands are privately owned and registered. The owners reside in the towns of Tubas, Tamoun and alJiftlik. Human right workers note that little to none military activity or maneuvers can be observed in most of these areas. Some of the areas recently declared as "firing zones" are adjacent to Jewish settlements (such as Bekaot), and are therefore unsuitable to serve as firing

zones.

All these facts point to the deliberate attempt of the Israeli authorities to expel the Palestinian inhabitants of the area, under the pretext of military use.