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- 7 jan 2010
Hanan's eight-year battle with Yitzhar settlers
Hanan Safwan on her land near Nablus
Nablus – Ma’an – On 5 May 2002, dozens of armed settlers from the Yitzhar settlement attacked the Safwan family, setting fire to their home, sending dogs into the home and damaging most of the furniture.
Hanan Safwan, 49-years-old, recounted that her husband died on the spot that day in May, "ever since then," she lamented, "the attacks against this family have never stopped."
The family lives in the village of Burin, south of Nablus, a kilometer north of the Yitzhar settlement.
"I can remember how my kids stood in panic and fear watching the fierce settlers’ attack and seeing their father Adnan suffering a heart attack...he couldn't stand to see the home he build destroyed before his eyes," Hanan said.
The most recent attack came last week, when a group of settlers snuck onto her family's property before sunrise, and uprooted 18 olive trees. "These trees belong to us, we harvested them, lived off the oil and sold the rest," Hanan said, lamenting their loss.
"Settlers are cowards because they attack us at dawn and they are afraid to appear during the day," she said.
Ghassan Doghlus, the Palestinian Authority official in charge of the settlement portfolio for the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that during all the the attacks on her property, Hanan has represented a "strong and bold Palestinian woman who can face and oppose settlers."
He noted that settlers have attacked her home at all hours of the day over the years, and that she and her children have remained in the house to face their aggression.
"Settlers destroyed my property but I will never leave my land and my house," Hanan said, showing cracks in her resolve as she breaks into tears. "I’m so angry and sad, but what shall I do? What shall I do?"
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=252638 27 oct 2010, 12:41 , Respect -
Maria 12 jan 2010
Activists: Army prevents tree-planting near Hebron
Hebron – Ma'an – Israeli forces reportedly prohibited Palestinian farmers from planting 1,500 olive trees in the Abu Ar-Rish area of the Beit Ummar village near Hebron on Monday.
"Despite the decision by an Israeli court allowing Palestinian farmers to work on their lands, Israeli troops banned farmers today from planting [olive trees]," said Muhammad Awad, media spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Project. "The troops said that it is a closed military area," Awad said.
The spokesman added that four journalists and three American activists were detained, as Israeli forces used stun grenades and closed off the area leading to the agricultural land in question.
An Israeli military spokesman said he had no knowledge of the incident. 31 oct 2010, 01:33 , Respect -
Maria 15 jan 2010
Outpost settlers near Hebron uproot 70 trees
Hebron - Ma’an - Settlers inhabiting the Ma'on outpost on mount Hebron descended into the valley and uprooted an estimated 70 trees during a rampage on the agricultural land.
Locals said the land belongs to Musa Khalil Rab’i resident of At-Tuwani village in the south Hebron hills.
Witnesses said they were surprised when they entered the agricultural area and saw settlers uprooting young olive trees and ripping branches off of almost trees.
A statement from the Christian Peacemaker Teams presence in south Hebron said testimony collected from the family who owns the land noted "Twenty mature olive trees were broken at their trunks," and that "The family believes that Israeli settlers from the Ma’on settlement and Havot Ma’on outpost are responsible for the vandalism."
A Palestinian farmer informed internationals who documented the destruction that this was the fifth time since 1997 that settlers have destroyed the olive trees in this grove. He also stated that the trees would not be able to bear olives for at least three years.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=254189
- 10 febr 2010
Tree planters say soldiers used riot dispersal methods on volunteers
Hebron - Ma'an - International and Palestinian tree planters were dispersed with tear gas and sound bombs as they attempted to work land belonging to local farmers on Wednesday, the Palestinian solidarity project said.
Media spokesman for the project Mohammad Awad said the volunteers, participating in the "voluntary day to protect lands under threat of confiscation" brought 500 olive tree seedlings to lands registered to Hasan Awad, Husam Ahmad Bahar and Ibrahim Abed Al-Hamid Abu Maria.
Shortly after the group started planting, Israeli soldiers descended on the area from near the Karmi Zur settlement, 19% of which is built on Palestinian owned land, according to Peace Now, and residents say much of the rest of the land belonged to the village of Beit Ummar.
Awad said soldiers attacked the group and fired teargas as well as sound bombs at them until they retreated from the area. When the smoke cleared and the volunteers returned to the land, Awad said they were prevented from doing so.
An Israeli army spokesman said accounts from officials in the military differed from Awad's version. He said forces ordered planters to leave the area near Karmi Zur because they were tree planting where "such an activity is not permitted." According to the army the volunteers left the area without incident.
On Thursday, Israeli forces stormed the village and detained seven men between the ages of 20-35. On 11 and 13 January, Israeli forces also prevented volunteers from planting trees near the village.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=260539 8 nov 2010, 01:36 , Respect -
Maria 23 febr 2010
PA official: 45 olive trees chopped down near Nablus
A Palestinian farmer collects olives from trees torn down by settlers in
the northern West Bank, 3 October 2009
Nablus – Ma'an – Israeli settlers cut down dozens of olive trees in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a Palestinian Authority official said.
Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the PA's northern settlements portfolio, said residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement chopped down 45 olive trees on land belonging to Burin, a Palestinian village near Nablus.
The trees were planted on property owned by cousins Suhail Najjar, Murad Ma'roof Najjar, and Issa Mahmoud Najjar, the official said.
Daghlas denounced what he termed the continuous aggression, particularly in villages near settlements. He urged human rights organizations to immediately intervene on behalf of affected farmers.
An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that the Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry in the occupied territories, received a complaint about the incident. Civil Administration representatives were dispatched to the scene to investigate, he added.
On Sunday, settlers smashed windshields of cars driving along the Nablus-Jenin road and assaulted a Palestinian doctor. "Attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the Nablus district continue, almost every day," Daghlas said at the time.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army vowed to "take severe measures against those involved" in disturbances in the area, after several dozen settlers attacked a military patrol near Yitzhar, injuring a soldier and two paramilitary police officers.
The attacks followed a Tuesday incident where a settler shot a Palestinian teenager in the same area during clashes that also left five Israelis injured. At the time, Israel's army vowed to investigate the shooting.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=263615...Read more 3 dec 2010, 12:15 , Respect -
Maria 24 febr 2010
Israel to 'relocate' olive trees in West Bank village
Bethlehem - Ma'an - An Israeli company operating on behalf of the country's Ministry of Defense began the relocation of olive trees on Tuesday, on lands belonging to the village of Bil'in slated for the construction of the separation wall.
The trees, which would otherwise be destroyed in the construction process that cuts off villagers from dozens of other trees that will not be moved, will be re-planted on lands that will remain on the east side of the wall, a statement from the Israeli military said.
According to the military, the relocation is being conducted in coordination with the land owners in Bil'in and the Civil Administration, a branch of the Israeli Defense Ministry which oversees non-military matters in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The move comes after Israel's High Court of Justice ruled that the separaion barrier should be rerouted so that it annexes less land from the village, which was cut in half by a system of fences, trenches and combed sand outlining the wall's eventual route.
"The IDF will continue to operate in accordance with the law and the decisions made by the High Court of Justice," the statement said.
Meanwhile, the army said Israeli authorities were investigating claims that settlers cut down dozens of olive trees on the same day in an area of the West Bank thirty kilometers north of Bil'in.
Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the PA's northern settlements portfolio, said residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement chopped down 45 trees on land belonging to Burin, a Palestinian village near Nablus.
An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that the Civil Administration received a complaint about the incident, and that representatives were dispatched to the scene to investigate.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=263782 17 jan 2011, 22:22 , Respect -
Maria 28 febr 2010
Fayyad replants uprooted olive trees
Salam Fayyad, caretaker prime minister of the Ramallah-based Palestinian government, plants an olive tree in the northern West Bank village of Burin on 25 February 2010, two days after 45 trees such were destroyed by Israeli settlers from the nearby Yitzhar settlement.
An Israeli military spokesman told Ma'an that the Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry in the occupied Palestinian territories, received a complaint about the incident, and that Civil Administration officials were dispatched to the crime scene to investigate the most recent allegations.
Last Sunday, settlers smashed windshields of cars driving along the Nablus-Jenin road and assaulted a Palestinian doctor. "Attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the Nablus district continue, almost every day," said Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activity in the northern West Bank.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=264861 5 jul 2011, 10:40 , Respect -
Maria 3 mrt 2010
Israeli bulldozers enter Beit Jala for wall construction
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone in Beit Jala, Bethlehem, on Tuesday, to assist bulldozers in overturning land in the area to make way for further construction of the separation wall, witnesses said.
The bulldozers began operating on lands near the Cremisan Monastery road, said Leila Awad, whose home is the only one in the area.
Awad told Ma'an she was surprised to see Israeli bulldozers, accompanied by police, enter her land and begin uprooting olive, walnut and lemon trees.
Israeli forces previously confiscated one and half dunums of her land, Awad said, to build a tunnel connecting Jerusalem settlement blocs with the Kfar Etzion settlement in Bethlehem. The remainder of her land was confiscated to build the rest of the separation wall, only five meters from her home, she added.
Awad said her family of nine is threatened with eviction.
Journalists and cameramen were prohibited from accessing the area, as Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=265373
Israeli bulldozers return to Beit Jala
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Dozens of Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists rallied near Bethlehem on Wednesday, in protest of the bulldozing of olive trees near a section of Israel's wall, which weaves through the occupied West Bank.
Witnesses said Israeli forces used limited force against protesters who attempted to prevent the bulldozers from approaching the trees, planted in Beit Jala. Several demonstrators were dragged on the ground as they refused to leave, but no serious injuries were reported.
Marwan Sha'ban of the local Popular Committee Against Settlements in Bethlehem said "we came here with our solidarity friends to say: stop attacking the land, uprooting trees, and forcing people out of their houses."
Sha'ban termed any construction on privately owned land as illegal, but said the Beit Jala construction flaunted the law, noting previous remarks by Fayyad Nasser, a lawyer who represents the Beit Jala municipality.
Nasser said Israeli authorities began bulldozing the land after notifying authorities just hours earlier. According to Israeli law, however, there is a 40 day period in which landowners can appeal the decision, he said.
The Israeli authorities are working in a 300-donum area that includes over 2,000 olive trees, according to the Popular Committee, all owned by Palestinians in the predominantly Christian city that lies between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Sha'ban said his committee would meet later Wednesday to discuss their options.
An Israeli security source told Ma'an that the operation was fully coordinated with Palestinian Authority security forces. This was denied, however, by the Israeli Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry that oversees civilian affairs in the occupied territories.
A Civil Administration spokesman said there was no cooperation with the PA on the particular operation in Beit Jala, but that security coordination between the two sides remained strong, in general, and particularly in Bethlehem. He said PA forces have no jurisdiction in the area in question.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone order to assist the operation, witnesses said. Journalists and cameramen were prohibited from accessing the area, as the frequently employed designation also applies to press coverage.
Bulldozers began operating on lands near the Cremisan Monastery road, said Leila Awad, whose home is the only one in the area. Awad told Ma'an she was surprised to see the bulldozers, accompanied by police, on her land uprooting olive, walnut and lemon trees. Awad's home and those of 35 other families are threatened with demolition, according to the municipality.
Israel maintains that the barrier prevents attacks. Palestinians say the wall's construction is effectively a land grab, as it annexes some 10 percent of the occupied West Bank into Israel, including several settlements built on Palestinian land.
In 2004, the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled that the wall, along its proposed route, causes needless suffering to the civilian population, cannot be justified by security, and violates international law.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=265693
Confrontation in Beit Jala
Israeli border police clash with Palestinian protesters at a demonstration against the separation wall in the West Bank city of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, on 3 March 2010. Bulldozers continued work on Wednesday near Route 60 on the edge of town.
Israeli authorities were operating in an area that includes over 2,000 olive trees, all owned by Palestinians in the predominantly Christian city between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The operation threatens 35 family homes, municipality officials said.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces enforced a closed military zone order to assist the ongoing operation. Journalists and photographers were prohibited from accessing the area, as the frequently employed designation also applies to press coverage.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=265762 5 jul 2011, 11:32 , Respect -
Maria 4 mrt 2010
Protests continue in Beit Jala
Palestinians and foreign activists replant uprooted olive trees during a protest against Israel's separation wall in the West Bank village of Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, on 4 March 2010. Israeli forces were uprooting the trees to extend Israel's contentious West Bank separation wall.
A day earlier, Israeli border police clashed with Palestinian protesters as bulldozers continued work near Route 60 on the edge of town. The area includes over 2,000 olive trees, all owned by Palestinians in the predominantly Christian town between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=265974 5 jul 2011, 11:37 , Respect -
Maria 7 mrt 2010
Fayyad : Olive trees more deep-rooted than settlements
Bethlehem – Ma'an – "The newest olive tree in our country is more deep-rooted than the fragile walls and settlements," said caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Saturday, as he met with members of the popular committee against the wall in Beit Jala, Bethlehem.
Fayyad spoke with international activists and Palestinian committee members at the site of wall's latest construction in Beit Jala, condemning the Israeli annexation of land and uprooting of olive trees to build the separation wall. "Deep in the roots of these olive trees, there is something that reminds us that our people lived here from the beginning and will continue to the end," he told the gathered crowds of protestors.
"We will continue to work and build in all Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, paying no attention to the unjust classifications and the so-called C zones.
"Our efforts will not stop until we build an independent Palestinian state. Statehood is a dream that can be realized through insistence and survival on this land, and through persistence as the whole world supports us," Fayyad said.
Fayyad assured that the Ramallah leadership will continue to enable Palestinians to be steadfast against the occupation by offering services and ensuring their basic needs to protect their land.
Minister of prisoners affairs, Issa Qaraqe attended the rally, as well as Jamal Zaqout, presidential advisor, and Beit Jala's mayor, Raji Zeidan.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=266550 5 jul 2011, 11:43 , Respect -
Maria 12 mrt 2010
Mayor: Israeli settlers uprooted 40 olive trees
Nablus – Ma'an – Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in Qaryut, south of Nablus, at dawn on Friday, officials said.
The settlers uprooted 40 olive trees in the Al-Batashiyah area of Qaryut, the village's mayor Abdel Nasser Al-Qaryuti told Ma'an.
The apparent vandalism was discovered as residents of the village woke up on Friday morning, Al-Qaryuti said.
He said the trees were planted on land belonging to village residents Muhammad Jaber Abdullah, Ahmad Jaber Abdullah and Yasser Hassan.
Calls to Israel's Civil Administration, a branch of the country's Defense Ministry that handles civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, were not immediately returned.
Calls to an Israeli police spokesman based in the West Bank went unanswered.
Latest in a series of similar allegations
Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian car in the northern West Bank on Wednesday, said Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the Palestinian Authority's northern settlements portfolio. He said Civil Defense forces were investigating an arson in the village of Burin, south of Nablus, allegedly set by residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement.
In February, settlers chopped down dozens of olive trees in the same village, Daghlas said at the time, while the Civil Administration said representatives were dispatched to the scene to investigate.
The month also saw settlers smash windshields of cars driving along the Nablus-Jenin road and assault a Palestinian doctor. "Attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the Nablus district continue, almost every day," Daghlas said.
Israel has vowed to "take severe measures against those involved" in disturbances in the area, after several dozen settlers attacked a military patrol near Yitzhar, injuring a soldier and two paramilitary police officers.
The attacks followed an incident in which a settler shot a Palestinian teenager in the same area during clashes that also left five Israelis injured. At the time, Israel's army also vowed to investigate the shooting.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=268097 11 jul 2011, 14:35 , Respect -
Maria 19 mrt 2010
Report: Israeli settlers uproot 25 olive trees near Nablus
Nablus – Ma'an – Settlers from Israel's Eli area uprooted 25 olive trees from the Al-Batshisha neighborhood of Qaryut village in the northern West Bank, an official said Friday.
Residents discovered the destruction Thursday morning, when they arrived at the agricultural lands approximately 600 meters away from the Eli settlement.
Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the settlement file for the northern West Bank, reported the incident, which followed on the heels of the destruction of at least 40 fruit trees just north of the area the week before.
Qaryut village council head Abed An-Naser Al-Qaryuti said “this is the second time the settlers had uprooted and chopped olive trees of the village only within a week.”
Al-Qaryuti said the trees were on land belonging to Mohammad Jaber,Ahmad Jaber, Abed Al-Aziz Al-Mardawi and Yaser Hasen.
Daghlas denounced the destruction, and demanded international law and previous agreements be implemented immediately to halt what he described as Israeli crimes.
Israeli police and Civil Administration representatives were unavailable for comment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269934 20 jul 2011, 19:58 , Respect -
Maria 12 apr 2010
PA ministry seizes fake olive oil
Nablus – Ma'an – The Ramallah-based Ministry of Agriculture confiscated considerable quantities of sub-par olive oil on Monday in occupied East Jerusalem and Hebron.
The tainted olive oil, sold at 110 shekels per bottle, was a mixture of low-grade olive and cooking oils and likely originated from Israel, the ministry's undersecretary Azzam Tubeleh said.
Tubeleh said the confiscation was undertaken in coordination with PA security forces, after he was informed by a colleague that a Nablus shop was selling the counterfeit olive oil, which was labeled as originating from the Palestinian Al-Mansha town.
Following an investigation, the ministry and forces seized the goods in two warehouses in Ezzariya, East Jerusalem, and Hebron.
The ministry is currently testing the produce to verify the olive oil's source and will release its findings once the investigation is complete, Tubeleh added, further calling on residents to report to the ministry if similar olive oil is found.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=275989 22 jul 2011, 11:13 , Respect -
Maria 18 apr 2010
PCBS: Olive pressing output down in 2009
Bethlehem - Ma'an - A Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics report revealed that olive pressing in the occupied Palestinian territories was considerably lower in 2009, compared with previous years.
Almost 19,860 tons of olives were pressed in 2009, extracting 4,771 tons of olive oil -- a decline in olive press output, which in 2008 saw 17,584 tons of oil extracted from 76,388 tons of pressed olives in 2008, the PCBS statistics indicated, revealing a poor olive harvest in 2009.
The highest quantity of extracted oil in 2009 was 1,585 tons from 6,304 of olive pressed in Jenin and Tubas governorates, while the lowest quantity of extracted oil was 103 tons from 389 tons of pressed olive in Jerusalem.
The PCBS noted that results showed that the extraction rate increased, reaching 24.0% in 2009, compared with 23.0% in 2008. It reached the highest level with 26.9% in Qalqiliya governorate while the lowest level was in Gaza and Deir Al-Balah governorates at 16.6%.
Results showed a decreased in the level of olive press output in 2009, compared with previous years, reaching 3 million US dollars in 2009 compared to 7.8 million US dollars in 2008. On the other side the value added of olive pressing activities amounted to 1.8 million US dollars in 2009.
The total number of olive presses in the occupied Palestinian territories in 2009 was 280, of which 235 were operating and 45 were temporarily closed. The distribution of operating presses by automation was as follows, the PCBS wrote: 209 full automatic presses and 26 half automatic and traditional presses.
Data indicate that operating presses were concentrated in the northern West Bank, particularly in the Jenin, Tubas, and Nablus governorates.
PCBS' statistics further indicated that 892 individuals engaged in olive pressing in 2009, of which 490 were paid employees, compared with 1,375 individuals registered in 2008 of which 1,028 were paid employees.
Employee compensation reached 33,600 US dollars in 2009, compared with 89,910 US dollars in 2008, the PCBS wrote.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=276571 23 jul 2011, 10:41 , Respect -
Maria 20 apr 2010
EU project trains Palestinian olive farmers
Bethlehem - Ma'an - An EU project has helped small-scale Palestinian olive farmers in the West Bank produce international standard organic olive oil for global sale and develop their trade.
Some 800 olive farmers attended a series of courses on administration, trimming olive trees, harvesting, olive oil extraction and laboratory work, undertaken by the European Commission, OXFAM, the Union of Palestinian Farmers, and Bethlehem University's Fair Trade Development Center.
The number of indirect beneficiaries exceeds 2,900 farmers from more than 30 West Bank villages. "We learned several new things about olive trees and plant diseases and how to deal with them. We learned new picking and storage methods and much more through the project," says Um Yazan, a Palestinian woman who benefited from the training.
The Ma'an Network produced a documentary on the project, cataloging the success of Palestinian olive farmers participating in the project and their goal to sell their organic produce to the international market.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=277585 30 jul 2011, 11:34 , Respect -
Maria 20 apr 2010
Nablus official: Settlers uproot 250 olive seedlings
Nablus – Ma'an – A number of Israeli settlers uprooted 250 olive tree seedlings on Tuesday at dawn, after Palestinian farmers spent several days planting the crop in the Qaryut village south of Nablus, an official said.
Ghassan Doughlas, Palestinian Authority head of the settler portfolio in the northern West Bank, told Ma'an that settlers from the illegal Hayovel outpost east of the village uprooted the olive crop, which Palestinian farmers planted for Earth Day.
Abdul Nasser Al-Qaryuti, head of the village council, called on human rights organizations to intervene and halt settler assaults on Palestinian lands.
No complaint was submitted to Israel's Civil Administration, a spokesman said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=277917 2 aug 2011, 10:54 , Respect -
Maria 27 apr 2010
Fire destroys 300 olive trees in Qalqiliya
Qalqiliya – Ma'an – A fire destroyed 300 olive trees in the northern West Bank district of Qalqiliya on Tuesday, authorities said.
The blaze spread quickly due to high temperatures and wind as well as a lack of rainfall in the area, civil defense reported.
Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, which affected about 400,000 square meters of the grove.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280008 18 aug 2011, 09:05 , Respect -
Maria 30 apr 2010
Outpost settlers uproot 30 olive trees east of Qalqiliya
Qalqiliya – Ma'an – Kafr Qaddum village residents said they woke up to settlers from the Hifat Gilad outpost of the illegal Qedumin settlement bloc tearing up some 30 olive trees on private lands.
The trees, part of the agricultural land belonging to Saleh Shtewi and his brothers, were torn up at the south-eastern end of the village, abutting the settlement.
Fields in the area had previously been declared a closed military zone, locals said, keeping farmers from planting or harvesting their crops. Some were able to secure special permits during harvest seasons from Israeli authorities, however this did not always guarantee access to groves and orchards if settlers were present in the area.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=280690