Israeli Settler, Under Army Guard, Replaces Displaced Palestinian Village

A Palestinian community in the West Bank has been emptied after what residents describe as a campaign of violent intimidation by Israeli settlers, backed by soldiers. Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja was home to 135 families. It was the last remaining Palestinian village in its part of the Jordan Valley. Now, it is deserted. Mahmoud Eshaq, 55, fought back tears as he dismantled his family home. "I had not cried since I was a boy," he said. In a single day, his family packed fifty years of life into a truck—mattresses, a refrigerator, sacks of flour, and suitcases. As Eshaq’s children loaded their belongings, masked Israeli soldiers escorted a teenage Israeli settler through the village. The teen, a shepherd, rode a donkey down the main road. He posed for photographs, flashing a victory sign. Residents blame settler violence, conducted with military support, for their forced departure. They call it ethnic cleansing.