Ein al-Auja: How a Palestinian community was erased

Haitham Rashaidh was among the last to leave his home near Ein al-Auja, a natural spring and waterfall north of Jericho in the occupied West Bank. His family packed up their tents and heaped all of their belongings onto a tractor, and then began the two-hour journey across difficult terrain towards al-Balqa, a sparsely populated area of the Jordan Valley, where they set up camp alongside their displaced neighbours. “No one leaves their land willingly, and that is one of the hardest things in life,” he said. “But to stand alone is not enough. We defended our land alone, and we lost our land, our livestock and our water. If we do not stand together, we will all lose.” The spring that once sustained life here has run dry, as Bedouin families flee Israeli violence and resource theft. Today,  Ein al-Auja is no longer what it once was. The spring that flowed abundantly in years past has been reduced to intermittent streams of water. The soil is dry and cracked. The trees are fewer. The air is quieter. There are no children’s voices, no herds moving. Only the wind, passing through a place that was once alive. This video was produced as part of the 2026 Middle East Eye Fellowship. Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @middleeasteye   Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at MEELive@middleeasteye.org Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Instagram:   / middleeasteye   Like us on Facebook:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Twitter:   / middleeasteye