How water became <b>the IDF's new weapon</b> to pressure West Bank residents to leave

Anyone driving on the Alon Road near the northern West Bank settlement of Beka'ot will find a yellow gate standing on the other side of the road – locked and abandoned – between concrete blocks and piles of dirt. Beyond the gate are the community of Ras al-Ahmar and the villages of Atuf and Tammun. Jordan Valley activists have for years called it the "water gate," since water from the Atuf well used to be transported through it to isolated northern Jordan Valley communities.

How Water Became The IDF's New Weapon to Pressure West Bank Residents to Leave A Palestinian farmer carrying milk cannisters over a trench dug out by the military on the way to Ras al-Ahmar, September. Credit: Majdi Mohammed/AP In Ras al-Ahmar, pipes were cut and access roads blocked. Masafer Yatta villages lack water infrastructure, and the IDF prevents residents from obtaining supplies. Residents are forbidden to travel without coordination, citing firing zones.

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