Israel refuses to give construction permits and gives demolition orders when Palestinians build without them. Read more about In photos: Palestinian school threatened by Israeli bulldozers 

For seven days, Palestinians began to rebuild the village of Ein Hijleh in the Jordan Valley, until Israeli occupation forces expelled them. Read more about In photos: Palestinians take back Jordan Valley village 

Ein Hijleh was forcibly depopulated by Israel in 1967. Palestinians are reclaiming the land, linking it to their history and heritage. Read more about Palestinians dodge Israeli soldiers to retake village in occupied West Bank 

The Oslo accords have left Jordan Valley communities without access to vital resources. Read more about Farmer in Palestinian "breadbasket" works in Israeli settlement to survive 

The Palestine Wildlife Society has recently installed 64 nesting boxes for barn owls and kestrels in the Jordan Valley, in the area around Atuf village. Imad F. Atrash, director of the society, arranged for a public event on 2 January 2008, to celebrate the completion of this project at Atuf school. Accompanying the event was live fire by the Israeli army, who were conducting military exercises less than a mile away. As the volunteers rigged up the sound system and displays, an Israeli army jeep drove past, no doubt attracted by the gathering. Read more about Life and wildlife in the Jordan Valley 

15 May 2007 — A few weeks ago I attended an event commemorating Palestinian Prisoner’s Day at Al Far’a Refugee Camp in the Tubas area. To enter the theatrical and cultural spectacle we had to pass through a makeshift checkpoint with soldiers pointing their guns in our faces and screaming in Hebrew for us to get back. Although I knew these were Palestinian actors role-playing the harassment they experience daily, it was very frightening to have men with guns yell at me in a foreign language and stick killing machines in my face. Read more about The Jordan Valley and Israel's Invisible Wall