Since 1967, Israel has employed various methods to de facto annex the Jordan Valley, the most significant land reserve in the West Bank. Toward this end, Israel prevents the development of Palestinian communities there, systematically demolishes the structures of the area’s Palestinian-Bedouin communities, prevents Palestinians from accessing the Valley’s rich water resources, and harshly restricts Palestinian movement in the area. Simultaneously, Israel has allocated extensive areas in the Valley for settlements. 

The Jordan Valley is the eastern strip of the West Bank. It runs within the Green Line, from just north of the Ein Gedi area in the south, to just south of Beit She’an in the north. It is 15 kilometers wide and 120 kilometers long. The Valley is home to some 48,000 Palestinians, who live in 20 permanent communities, among them Jericho, and in dozens of Bedouin communities. 7,500 Israelis live in 28 settlements erected there.