B'Tselem claims 47 Palestinian families at risk of expulsion, IDF says homes built illegaly

The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem reported that 47 Palestinian families in the northern Jordan Valley of the West Bank are at risk of expulsion, alleging that settler extremists and the IDF cut off water supplies to 300 people in Ras al-Ahmar, At-Tha'ala, and east of Atuf. The IDF countered that many of these families built their homes illegally in Area C and that their cases are proceeding through the legal system. The military confirmed a digging project in the area for security reasons, stating, "The purpose of the project is operational control that will make it possible to prevent the smuggling of weapons, thwart security threats to the State of Israel and terrorist incidents in the Jordan Valley area." B'Tselem claims this action, which has damaged water infrastructure, is intended to displace Palestinian communities and facilitate settlement expansion.