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Dozens of Palestinian Families Flee Ras Ein al-Auja After Escalation of Settler Harassment

Residents in the Jordan Valley describe a two-year pattern of settler threats that has eroded safety.

An Israeli settler herds his flock near his outpost beside the Palestinian village of Ras Ein al-Auja in the West Bank, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinian residents of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes after deciding to flee mounting settler violence, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinian children play in the West Bank village of Ras Ein al-Auja, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
A Palestinian resident of Ras Ein al-Auja village, West Bank burns trash, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Overview

  • Over two dozen families have left in recent days, including 26 on Thursday, with several more packing up on Sunday, according to residents and rights groups.
  • About 20 of roughly 120 families from the hamlet’s western section departed Thursday after a week of intensified harassment by settlers from nearby outposts, Haaretz reports.
  • Villagers describe thefts, blocked roads, night intrusions into homes, and attacks on children that have curtailed grazing and daily movement.
  • Rights groups say settlers established a new outpost near homes in December, increasing incursions into the community, while Israeli authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
  • Displaced families have scattered to areas near Jericho and Hebron, and B’Tselem says similar violence since October 2023 has uprooted more than 2,000 Palestinians from at least 44 communities.