Soldiers Attempt to Forcibly Expel Palestinian Families in the West Bank
- ACRI
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
On January 23, 2026 ACRI contacted the army on behalf of two shepherd families from the village of al-Nakhb in the West Bank. The families have been living in this location for decades, and according to them, the land is privately owned and belongs to the estate of the family’s grandfather.
In mid-January, a military jeep arrived at the home of Youssef’s family (name has been changed for privacy). Soldiers conducted a search in the family’s two residential tents, leaving the homes in disarray. Two days later, a military jeep arrived again with two soldiers, one with his face covered. They demanded that Youssef gather his family, his belongings, and his flocks and leave within two hours. Youssef was not presented with any documentation ordering him to leave, and he was warned that if they returned to find him there they would destroy his home and his property. The soldiers did return the next day. They repeated the demand and their threats, both to Youssef and the father of the second family, and one of them physically attacked Youssef.
These incidents are not the only harassment that families in the area have faced. For years, they have been harassed both by the army and settlers. The attacks have intensified over the last four months, and include an attempt to steal a flock of sheep, the disconnection of water lines, and an attempt to damage solar panels.
As Attorney Yael Seidemann notes in the appeal, the soldiers' raids on the homes of the families resembles raids by a gang of thugs, using violence and threats without any legal basis. The order for Youssef and the other families to evacuate their homes is forced expulsion, which is prohibited under law. The appeal also notes that this is not the first time that soldiers have expelled or participated in expelling families from their homes in the area. We demand that it be immediately clarified that the order for the families to leave is unlawful and invalid, and to prosecute the soldiers who issued it to the fullest extent of the law.
ACRI's appeal, January 23, 2026 (Heb)
The appeal was written with the help of legal intern Yaser Abu Areesha
