PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul

Israeli authorities razed the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, located in the Jordan Valley, on September 16, 2013. The destruction caused nearly all of its 120 residents to relocate to the nearby village of Tannoun.

Israeli authorities arrived two more times over the past month to destroy makeshift structures used to protect the herds from the beating sun. Many of the animals died of dehydration. Despite Israeli orders and unrelenting pressure, 20 villagers stayed behind to rebuild the village. Israeli activists arrived earlier this week for a solidarity visit.

Photos by: Keren Manor, Ryan Rodrick Beiler, Oren Ziv / Activestills.org

PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Burhan Basharat stands inside a makeshift animal shelter that was build after his house and farm were demolished in West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Doves fly over the rubble of the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
A Palestinian man whose house was destroyed organizes his tent in the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 7, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Palestinians, aided by Israeli solidarity activists, clear the remains of demolished shelters in the destroyed West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 11, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
A Palestinian man starts a fire to bake bread in the destroyed West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 7, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Activists help in rebuilding the destroyed West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, during a solidarity visit. Jordan Valley, October 11, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
An Israeli military plane flies over sheep standing in the rubble of the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 7, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
A Palestinian shepherd walk with his sheep in the destroyed West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
A Palestinian farmers fill water tanks in the destroyed West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Burhan cleans his ground in the destroyed West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Burhan Basharat, father of eight, sits in the remains of his destroyed home in West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Burhan Basharat feeds a young lamb after his mother died as a result of dehydration, after the demolition of the village, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
Burhan Basharat watch TV between the rubbles of his destroyed home in the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
A palestinian farmers lights a fire early in the morning, Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan Valley, October 9, 2013.
PHOTOS: A week in the demolished West Bank village of Khirbet Al-Makhoul
A Palestinian man prays in the destroyed West Bank village of Khirbet al-Makhoul, Jordan valley, October 9, 2013.

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TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence.    We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies.   This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza.   We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.   Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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