Published on 6/17/2026
Fahd Abu Dahuk did not need much explanation as he stood in front of severed water pipes on the outskirts of his residential community in the town of Beit Iksa, northwest of Jerusalem.
He merely pointed to the lines scattered on the ground, saying that Israeli settlers destroyed them days ago, adding to a long series of harassment that he says the residents of the area have been experiencing for months.
In this place surrounded by the wall, barriers, and settlements, the suffering of the residents does not seem to be an urgent or passing event, but it began to escalate months ago, according to Abu Dahuk.
He added to Al Jazeera: “The pace of attacks began to escalate with the settlement of a settler in the area, and this was followed by restrictions, prosecutions, and repeated attacks on residents and their livestock.”
Preventing access to grazing
The man points to the surrounding hills extending over wide distances, explaining that they are areas that were used for grazing and daily movement, but today they have become prohibited to them.
He adds that the settlers prevent people from entering it on foot or with their sheep, which has turned livestock raising, which is a basic source of livelihood for the population, into an almost impossible task.
A few days ago, a settler attacked individuals who were herding sheep in the area, according to Abu Dahuk’s account, and beat them.
This was not the only incident he narrated, as the man talks about a daily reality of provocations and restrictions that directly affected the lives of residents and their ability to survive.
Amidst the dry fields, the sheep seem to share the same suffering as their owners under the siege. Abu Dahuk says that the livestock have become completely confined, after the grazing areas were almost completely closed to them.
As available spaces decrease, the cost of raising them increases and families’ ability to rely on them as a source of income and food declines.
Continuous tightening for 35 years
Abu Dahuk goes back decades in his memory, recalling the lifestyle to which his family was accustomed.
About five decades ago, they used to move between Beit Iksa and the Jordan Valley according to the seasons, spending the winter in the Jordan Valley where it was warm and returning in the summer to Beit Iksa, but this pattern stopped after the occupation prevented them from continuing their movement, and they settled permanently in Beit Iksa for about 35 years.
Abu Dahuk believes that the current attacks cannot be separated from a larger goal, which is to push residents to leave the place. It shows that the restrictions are not limited to grazing or water, but rather include various details of daily life.
He points with his hand towards the nearby separation wall, explaining that access to Jerusalem and its surrounding areas has become impossible for them. He adds that the lack of transportation and the difficulty of movement increase their isolation.
The wall and settlements surround the town of Beit Iksa, near Jerusalem, on all four sides. The restrictions are no longer limited to movement only, but rather have become a continuous attempt to push residents to leave their land.
(Al Jazeera)
There is no choice but to stay
During a field tour in the area, a number of armed people appeared not far from the residential community. Abu Dahuk referred to them as belonging to the settler present in the area. Later, Israeli military vehicles arrived at the site, while soldiers demanded that residents and the Al Jazeera crew leave and prevented filming.
However, Abu Dahuk does not talk about leaving as an option. He confirms that staying there is part of a daily battle that residents wage to preserve their existence.
As he stands in the middle of a land that is narrowing day after day, he clearly repeats his position: “We may die here, but we will not leave, and we will remain steadfast in our land no matter the difficulties.”
Beit Iksa is one of the most isolated Palestinian villages northwest of Jerusalem, as it is surrounded by settlements, bypass roads, the separation wall, and military checkpoints from various sides.
The village’s population, numbering about two thousand people, has only one entrance through an Israeli military checkpoint, which makes daily movement to places of work, study, and basic services linked to continuous inspection procedures and restrictions.
The historical area of Beit Iksa is about 14,221 dunums (one thousand square metres), but the Palestinians are only able to build and expand on an area estimated at only about 650 dunums, according to local council data.
