22-02-06: Jordan Valley Farmers marched to the Bradala checkpoint today to non-violently protest the annexation of their lands to Israel.
Approximately 40 farmers faced Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint. Farmers in the Jordan Valley have been isolated from the rest of the West Bank whilst also being prevented from selling their produce to Israel.
‘Israel is leaving no way for these farmers to live’ Says Ahmed Sawaft Director of PARC (Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees) in Tubas: ‘This closure is causing an agricultural and economic disaster for the area.’
The Israeli military has de-facto annexed the Jordan Valley to Israel by denying access to the Jordan valley to any Palestinian but registered residents for the last seven months and has prevented the Palestinian farmers from transferring their produce through the Bardala checkpoint for four months.
Israel's acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmart has announced that in his party's vision of ‘the final borders of Israel’, the Jordan Valley will remain within Israel's borders.