Water and Essential Equipment Confiscated from a Shepherding Family
- ACRI
- Jun 1
- 2 min read
On May 25, 2026, dozens of soldiers and Border Police officers arrived at the home of a family of 10 living in tents in an exposed, arid open area in the northern Jordan Valley. They confiscated the family’s vehicle, water trailers, and the tractor used to transport water, claiming that the equipment had been used to enter a firing zone. The family was left without basic means of subsistence and without the ability to travel to obtain water and food. The family urgently appealed to the military and the police for assistance, but received no response.
On May 28, 2026, ACRI filed a petition with the Supreme Court on behalf of the family. The petition demands that the family be provided with basic necessities, foremost among them water and food for the family and their livestock, until the confiscated equipment is returned or alternative solutions are found that would allow them to meet these needs independently. We requested that an urgent hearing on the petition be scheduled within the coming days, before serious harm is caused to the petitioners and their health.
In the petition, we argued that the confiscation amounts to a forcible transfer through indirect means, and may even be regarded as cruel and inhuman punishment imposed discriminatorily on the petitioners. We emphasized the military commander’s obligation under international law to ensure the welfare and essential needs of the protected population, as well as the military’s duty to act fairly and reasonably in accordance with the principles of Israeli administrative and constitutional law. We argued that protecting firing zones is not an urgent objective that justifies causing humanitarian distress to people and animals, and that the denial of water, food, and essential services must not be used as a means or pretext for unlawful forcible transfer. Moreover, the State, having created this situation, must provide a response to the urgent needs resulting from the confiscation of the family's essential equipment, at least until a final determination is made regarding the petitioners’ rights and the legality of the confiscation.
HCJ 81968-05-26 Anonymous v. Commander of IDF Forces in the West Bank
Attorney: Reut Shaer
The petition, May 28, 2026 (Heb)
