West Bank herders afflicted by drought

Herders in the southern West Bank are facing hardship due to a drought this winter, which comes on top of previous troubles, including rising fodder prices and land access restrictions by the Israeli military, a new UN document said.

In the very affected south Hebron Hills, which received only 13 percent of expected rain, livestock nibbled at the barren land which normally in February would have stalks 10 cm high.

Meanwhile, the cost of fodder continues to rise, compounded by the need to buy water, which has become more expensive as tankers must travel longer distances to circumvent Israeli roadblocks.

Many herders have begun selling off their livestock to make ends meet, although the UN agencies and herders themselves are aware that this will ultimately mean no future income from herding.

According to OCHA and FAO the hardest hit are Bedouin farmers, like the Hadalin clan, made up mostly of refugees from the 1948 Israeli-Arab war. They now live in the southern West Bank.

Poverty is beginning to bite. OCHA said many herders now lived on bread and oil, only occasionally supplemented by vegetables, and without money to buy fuel for heating.