Israeli settlers push Palestinian shepherds off grazing land

Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank have surged sharply since October 2023, following the formation of a new Israeli government that includes far-right ministers. Palestinian shepherds and farmers in many areas face threats, property destruction, and livestock theft, forcing them to leave land their families have lived on for generations.

Mukhlis Masa'id, a resident of Khirbet Yarza in the Jordan Valley, said that 14 families—about 100 Palestinians—have had to leave their village since early 2026 due to almost daily settler attacks. They have seen crops destroyed, homes attacked, and shepherds and farmers assaulted. “The settlers have many ways to communicate among themselves. When they attack the shepherds, dozens gather to intimidate them. Meanwhile, we have no means of transport to reach and protect them,” Masa'id said.

Settlers have also stolen hundreds of sheep and cattle. After leaving, many sheep died from disease due to cramped grazing conditions. “What we are living now is no longer like life in Yirza,” he added.

The attacks are not limited to Area C—territory under full Israeli control, covering more than 60% of the West Bank—but have spread to Area A, which is theoretically under Palestinian Authority control. Zuhair Abu Shaar, in Jifna north of Ramallah, was suddenly raided by a group of Israeli settlers at his livestock pen on April 15. When villagers fought back, the group withdrew but returned 30 minutes later with 12 Israeli military vehicles. “They stole 180 head of cattle, assaulted us, and shot a neighbor in the foot. When I tried to protect my nephew, they beat me, handcuffed me, and put a gun to my head,” Abu Shaar recounted. He estimated his losses at no less than 450,000 shekels (about $150,000).

Nidal Younis, head of the Masafer Yatta village council south of Hebron, said that over the past three years, nearly all grazing land in the area has been seized by settlers. Twelve new settlement outposts have been established around Masafer Yatta. More than 90% of winter crop land has been confiscated. “Last year, settlers prevented people from harvesting their crops and brought their own sheep to graze on the fields. They also attacked tractors and farmers,” Younis said. On January 27, settlers attacked a village in Masafer Yatta and stole 300 head of livestock. The number of livestock there is now only 25% of what it was a few years ago.

According to a May 2026 report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the monthly number of settler attacks causing casualties or property damage in the Jordan Valley rose from 2 per month in 2020 to 27 per month in the first four months of 2026. OCHA warned that targeting Palestinian agriculture threatens families’ ability to sustain their livelihoods. A 2025 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that nearly two-thirds of the 72,000 farming and herding households in the West Bank need urgent assistance.

Abbas Melhem, head of the Palestinian Agricultural Associations Union, said 87% of the livestock sector is concentrated in the area from Masafer Yatta to the Jordan Valley, where more than 90% of the land is off-limits to Palestinian farmers and shepherds, while settler herds have unlimited access. The number of livestock in the West Bank and Gaza has fallen from 1.75 million four years ago to 480,000 today. “I am not exaggerating when I say that if this continues, Palestine will be forced to buy sacrificial livestock from settlers, who are fully protected by the Israeli army,” Melhem warned. “We are on the brink of a food security collapse in both plant and animal sectors without international intervention.”