TUBAS, March 7, 2018 (WAFA) - Israeli forces ordered on Wednesday two Palestinian families out of their homes in Khirbit Ibziq, east of Tubas in the Jordan Valley, as the military conducts training in the area, according to residents.

They said that members of the so-called Israeli civil administration, an arm of the military government, forced the two families out of their homes under the pretext of military drills with live ammunition planned to be conducted in their area between March 7 and 21.

Previously in this week, another 16 families were also evicted from their homes under the same pretext.

Residents said the army always conducts military training in the vicinity of their homes in order to force them to leave the area when there are many open fields far from their homes where the army can hold exercises.

They said they are constantly harassed by the army to get them to leave.

Israeli military officials have already admitted that the purpose of these exercises is to push Palestinians out of the Jordan Valley.

The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem described such training as “part of Israel’s longstanding policy aimed at driving Palestinian communities out of the area.”

C.K./M.K.