Illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers seized the ‘Ein Rawabi Spring east of Anata, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, after vandalizing it and taking full control — an escalation targeting one of the few remaining water sources relied upon by Bedouin communities and shepherds in the area.
The Jerusalem Governorate said the spring is the only water source used by shepherds for drinking and watering their livestock, previously sustaining around 1,300 sheep, making its seizure a direct threat to the livelihood of dozens of Bedouin families who depend on herding as their primary source of income.
The Governorate added that the assault is part of a continuous policy carried out by the occupation authorities and the colonizers to restrict shepherds, deprive them of grazing areas and water sources, and pressure them to abandon their lands.
The area has witnessed a series of attacks in recent weeks, including carving colonial roads toward the spring, attempts to steal livestock, and repeated assaults on shepherds.
Over recent months, Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem — including those near Anata, Khan al-Ahmar, and surrounding grazing zones — have faced intensified colonizer violence aimed at dismantling their access to land and water, with springs, wells, and grazing corridors becoming primary targets as part of a broader strategy to fragment Bedouin presence and expand colonial control across the Jerusalem periphery.
