Israel evicts Jordan Valley families for military drill

RAMALLAH

The Israeli army has expelled dozens of Bedouin families in the Jordan Valley ahead of a military drill in the area, according to a local Palestinian official.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Aref Daraghmeh said 50 families have received orders from the Israeli military to evacuate their lands in the Bedouin communities of Ras al-Ahmar, al-Meytah and al-Burj.

The Israeli exercise is slated for Feb. 6-12.

"An Israeli army force broke into the communities since last night and forced the families to leave their homes,” said Daraghmeh, the head of local council.

Daraghmeh said almost 300 Palestinians, including 140 children, currently live in these areas.

According to the 1993 Oslo Accords, "Area C" of the West Bank -- which includes the Jordan Valley -- falls under full Israeli administrative and security control.

Roughly 6,000 Jewish settlers currently live in 21 Israeli settlements scattered across the Jordan Valley region.

The Jewish state sees the strategic valley as a vital economic and security zone for its settlements and wants to keep the region under its firm control in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.

Palestinians, for their part, want the valley -- a large, fertile strip of land that accounts for roughly of the West Bank -- as part of a sought-for Palestinian state.