- 23 aug 2012
New Israeli demolition orders against six homes in Al-Khalil
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Wednesday handed six Palestinians demolition orders issued against their homes in the towns of Beit Ummar and Shiyukh Al-Aroub, north of Al-Khalil city.
A reporter for the Palestinian information center (PIC) said Israeli soldiers told two Palestinian natives in Beit Ummar that their homes under construction would be razed at the pretext they were unlicensed.
Other four citizens in Shiykh Al-Aroub town were also received Israeli threats to demolish their homes.
The reporter noted that the homes threatened with demolition are located in areas classified as B and C which are under Israeli control according to agreements signed with the Palestinian authority.
http://fwd4.me/183t 24 aug 2012, 16:49 , Respect -
Maria 24 aug 2012
IOA plans to confiscate citizens' lands in Tulkarem and al-Khalil
Israeli occupation authorities (IOA) handed residents in the village of Wadi al-Ghrous in al-Khalil notifications to confiscate seven dunums of their lands for building a settlement road.
Palestinian local sources pointed out that IOA handed over the villagers notifications on Thursday to seize an area of seven dunums from their agricultural lands in favor of establishing a settlement road with a length of five hundred meters, dividing the besieged village into two and linking between the area and a military camp.
The sources added that the IOA decision to seize Palestinian lands was issued by the commander of the occupation army in the West Bank.
Israeli soldiers also handed farmers in the village of Kafr Jammal southern Tulkarem, notifications to seize large tracts of their agricultural lands located near 'Kochav Yair' settlement built on the village lands.
Meanwhile, IOF bulldozed on Thursday lands in Najhot settlement in the framework of expansion works and establishment of new housing units and facilities in the settlement.
Eyewitnesses told the PIC that the bulldozers started dredging in the northern side of the settlement established on Palestinian lands in Khirbet Salama and Kharsa village south of al-Khalil since the morning hours.
Israeli occupation forces had also prevented three shopkeepers from selling fruit and vegetables near the town of Beit Ummar, north of Khalil.
The area has been exposed to continuous attacks by settlers represented in burning lands, cutting off trees, spraying the lands with toxic substances, and shooting every citizen approaching his lands bordering Karmi Tsur settlement, set up on Palestinian territories south of the town.
http://fwd4.me/189B 27 aug 2012, 09:22 , Respect -
Maria 26 aug 2012
IOF serves demolition notices in Jenin
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) served demolition notices to 15 farmers in west Jenin for demolishing their artesian wells, and a notice for a citizen to demolish his house under the pretext of being built in "C" zone without authorization.
Local sources said that IOF soldiers launched an extensive military campaign this afternoon in the village of Kfar Dan west of Jenin during which the infantry units swept the agricultural lands of the village.
Citizens stated that Israeli soldiers handed over Mahmoud Arqawi an order to demolish his house, currently under construction, claiming that it was being built in "C zone".
The local sources noted that there are nearly 100 artesian wells in the region used to irrigate thousands of dunums of land planted with vegetables and greenhouses, and that the IOF had previously destroyed 30 wells during the past two years in the same area.
http://fwd4.me/18Fv 27 aug 2012, 14:23 , Respect -
Maria 27 aug 2012
Bulldozers destroy fruit shop housing 27 people
A Palestinian fruit shop was demolished by Jerusalem Municipality bulldozers on Monday, 27 August, in East Jerusalem. Shop owner Ismail Mahmoud Jaber was told by Israeli forces that he had no permit for the shop before he and his sons were assaulted by officers.
Jaber told Silwanic that the officials arrived with the bulldozers arrived at dawn, ordering his sons Muhammad and Malek out of the shop before demolishing it. His sons were not allowed anytime to remove the produce from the shop before its destruction.
The shop, originally constructed from found materials, was built on land that has belonged to his son Mahmood for the last two years. In addition to providing the family’s livelihood through trade, it also housed 27 family members, costing them an estimated 100,000 NIS in losses. Jaber had been pursuing the correct permit since the beginning of the year, when he was notified by authorities of the requirement.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28429
Israel to Remove Source of Electricity south of Hebron
Israeli forces Monday notified the residents of Khirbet al-Taban, a locale east of the town of Yatta south of Hebron, of their plans to remove the solar cells in the area; the only source of electricity there, according to a local activist.
Ratib al-Jabour, coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements in southern Hebron, said Israeli forces, along with officers from the civil administration, handed the residents a military order to remove the solar cells in the area.
Al-Jabour said these Israeli measures aim to force the residents to leave the area in order to seize land.
He called upon human rights organizations to intervene to stop the removal of the solar cells in that area and to protect its residents from the Judization policy pursued by the Israeli authorities.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20527
Water Authority Condemns Israeli Demolition of Wells
Head of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) Shaddad Attili condemned Israel’s destruction of Palestinian agricultural wells in the Kufr Dan area, near Jenin, according to a statement by PWA on Monday.
The statement came following the Israeli military threat to destroy more wells in Jenin area if Palestinian farmers refuse to close down and destroy more on their own.
Attili described Israel’s demolition of Palestinian water infrastructure as a grave violation of basic Palestinian water rights, and said that it formed part of a broader campaign being waged by Israel to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land to facilitate ongoing illegal Israeli settlement expansion.
“Israel’s demolition of essential Palestinian water infrastructure is particularly concentrated in Area C and other areas of the West Bank that are under threat of confiscation for the purposes of illegal settlement expansion and the construction of Israel’s Wall. This is where some of the most vulnerable Palestinian communities live, and where the viability of the two-state solution is now being called into doubt,” Attili added.
He slammed the Israeli excuse of permits and ‘authorization’ as a way to veto and block essential Palestinian water projects and to stunt Palestinian development, stressing that Palestinians are not even close to being able to abstract the volumes of water allocated to them under previous agreements, largely because of Israel’s punitive permit regime.
Israel’s refusal to permit the construction of new Palestinian wells that are urgently needed, as well as its refusal to allow for the rehabilitation of old wells leaves some Palestinians with no choice but to drill wells without a permit, said the statement.
It estimated that water losses incurred as a result of Israeli restrictions on the rehabilitation of licensed Palestinian wells amounted to approximately 4 MCM/y.
Attili appealed to the international community to intervene to end Israel’s policy of deliberately targeting and destroying essential Palestinian water infrastructure, as well as he called on the U.S State Department, as chair of the Trilateral Water Committee, to act swiftly.
He further denied claims made by the Israeli Civil Administration that its latest destruction of agricultural wells in the Jenin area was carried out in coordination with PWA.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20522 28 aug 2012, 11:16 , Respect -
Maria 28 aug 2012
Israeli forces raid fruit shop, confiscate 50,000 NIS of produce
Israeli forces and Jerusalem Municipality officers raided a fruit shop in Sultan Suliman Street in Jerusalem on Tuesday, 28 August. 50,000 NIS worth of produce was confiscated by officers, who gave the owners 24 hours to remove the umbrella at the shop’s entrance or face fines of 500 NIS.
The Maswade family, who owns the store, were confronted by Israeli officers who confiscated vast amounts of produce and put them in trucks nearby. Officers claimed that the shop had extended beyond its legal limits under Israeli law.
http://silwanic.net/?p=28376
IOF soldiers demolish commercial store in al-Ram, houses in al-Khalil
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) razed on Monday a commercial store, located in the town of Al-Ram near the Qalandia crossroad.
Ahmed Sab Laban, a member of the Jerusalemite researchers Association, said that the IOF soldiers confiscated the goods inside the store, including fruits and vegetables, and attacked the sons of the storeowner before demolishing it.
The IOF bulldozers on Tuesday demolished houses, barracks and wells owned by Palestinian citizens in al-Tayaran area southeast of al-Khalil, eyewitnesses told PIC.
Meanwhile, local sources reported that the Israeli occupation forces handed 27 citizens notifications to demolish their houses and facilities southeast of al-Khalil.
The demolitions and notifications came within the framework of settlement expansion in different parts of the West Bank and particularly in al-Khalil.
http://fwd4.me/18Ly
Army Destroys 5 Wells, 5 Tents Near Hebron
Israeli soldiers destroyed, on Tuesday morning, five wells and three tents used by local residents of Zannouta area, in addition to removing two tents in a Khirbit Susya village, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Local sources reported that the army, accompanied by a military bulldozer, destroyed five wells and three tents in Zannouta, and the soldiers violently assaulted a number of Palestinian residents protesting the destruction of their property.
The destroyed wells and tents belong Odah Abu Sharkh, Edeis Abu Sharkh, Nabil Samamra and Mohammad Khaled Samamra.
In Susya, the army removed two tents used by Mohammad Mousa Mghannam and ten family members.
Nasr Nawaj’a, a resident of Susya, said that the army first demolished the structures nearly a month ago, and demolished them again today in order to expand the illegal Susia settlement, built on the residents land.
On Monday, the army handed several residents of nearby villages military orders informing them to leave their homes in preparation to demolish them.
The attack comes in implementation of an order made by Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, who decided to displace eight Palestinian villages south of Hebron in order to transform the area into a military zone.
Furthermore, residents of Kbhirbit At-Tabban village, received notices handed to them by the army ordering them to remove solar panels that provide them with power.
In related news, a number of extremist settlers burnt, on Monday at night, three Palestinian cars in Wad Khamis area, close to Sa’ir town, near Hebron. The torched vehicles belong to residents Zein Ed-Deen, Mohammad and Mahdi Al-Froukh.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64136
joseph dana Good morning. Israel has been busy demolishing structures in the village of Sussia while you were sleeping.
29 aug 2012, 12:27 , Respect -
Maria 29 aug 2012
Israel razes Palestinian homes in Negev and Jerusalem
Israeli bulldozers demolished on Wednesday three Palestinian homes in the Negev, southern 1948- occupied Palestine, and delivered demolition notices in Jerusalem.
Local sources told the PIC the bulldozers escorted by soldiers stormed Rukhmh and Bir Hadaj areas in the Negev and demolished three houses under the pretext of being built “without construction permits”.
One of the three houses is owned by Juma Abu Hderh, 110, one of the oldest people in the village who became homeless after the demolition.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces served demolition notices to a number of homeowners in the town of Silwan and Bustan neighborhood in Jerusalem under the pretext of illegal construction.
Approximately 45 thousand houses in unrecognized Arab villages in the Negev were declared illegal and subject to demolition under the pretext of being illegally built.
In another context, Israeli occupation forces stormed on Wednesday the town of Zababdeh, east of Jenin, and raided houses and summoned a number of inhabitants to the so-called Salem military camp.
Local sources confirmed that Israeli military vehicles stormed the town and raided several houses and handed their owners summonses.
The sources pointed out that the Israeli troops erected a checkpoint on the road between Zababdeh and Aquabaa and searched Palestinian vehicles.
http://rx.hu/E91q
The Prawer Plan (English)
(5:21) The Prawer Plan (English)
The Prawer Plan and the Arab Bedouin in the Naqab
IOF confiscates 17 vehicles, damages shops
JENIN, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) confiscated at dawn Wednesday 17 vehicles after raiding the industrial zone in the village of Barta'a isolated behind the Apartheid Wall.
Eyewitnesses said that dozens of Israeli soldiers surrounded the industrial area, raided shops, and confiscated cars parked at an auto repair garage.
The sources pointed out that the occupation forces caused havoc in the area.
Meanwhile, IOF soldiers erected on Wednesday morning a checkpoint on Yabod road and detained a Palestinian and confiscated a number of vehicles and checked the identities of passengers.
http://fwd4.me/18P0
Israeli Forces Raze Land near Salfit
Israeli forces Wednesday razed Palestinian-owned land in the town of Bruqin, northwest of Salfit, according to Bruqin mayor A’krima Samara.
Samara said Israeli bulldozers, protected by Israeli soldiers, began razing land in an area northwest of the town.
He added that settlers have recently intensified the razing operations in that area for the benefit of settlement expansion.
Local residents have appealed to an Israeli court in order to stop the razing of their land but the court keeps stalling in an attempt to force the residents to leave their land, thus allowing the opportunity to seize for settlement expansion, he added.
Governor of Salfit Isam Abu Bakr condemned the Israeli measures against Palestinians in Salfit, and called to stop these daily aggressions against them.
http://www.wafa.ps/english/index.php?action=detail&id=20552
Israeli forces issue demolition orders for Qalqiliya building
A picture of the building in Izbat at-Tabib, Qalqiliya
Israeli authorities handed out demolition orders for a building in a Qalqiliya village on Wednesday, local officials told Ma'an.
"The Israeli civil administration officials handed out a demolition order. The officials gave the village residents three days to evacuate the building," head of Izbat at-Tabib village council told Ma'an.
"This building represents the cornerstone for the village as it provides important services to each citizen. If the Israeli authorities implement this decision, the only school in this residential gathering will be destroyed, and this constitutes a real danger for the children's future and education," he added.
The building was constructed by the Palestinian Authority, the village head said.
In the first six months of 2012, Israeli authorities demolished 330 Palestinian buildings in the West Bank, displacing 536 people, half of whom are children, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories Richard Falk.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=515314
Israeli Occupation Storms Beit Ummar, Arrests Citizens and Summons Interrogation Notices
On Wednesday 29th August, Israeli occupation forces stormed several neighborhoods in Beit Ummar, searched the houses and arrested several Palestinians.
A military force of 200 soldiers and number of military vehicles raided al-Baiada neighborhood, searched it and arrested Yousef Mohammad Kamel Awad, 22. Awad is a released prisoner who was released in March, 2012 after he spent almost three years in Israeli jails.
Israeli forces also raided the house of Abdul Qader Ekhlil and arrested his two sons Khwelid, 26, and Mohammad, 17. The force also broke into the house of Bader Mahmoud Ekhlil, 75, and took him along to his nephew's house Abdul Qader.
The occupation also handed Wael Mohammad Abdul Hamed Ekhlil, 36, a notice to meet the Israeli intelligence in Etzion military camp Wednesday morning 29th August. The Israeli forces stayed in the village until the early hours of the morning before its withdrawal.
Israeli forces has increased and intensified the arrests and raids campaign on the village of Beit Ummar during the year 2012.
http://fwd4.me/18Nu
Occupation Raids Stores, Arrests a Citizen and Imposes High Fines in Jerusalem
A force made up of Israeli intelligence and special units raided a mobile phone store in the Fatima al-Zahra' complex in Salah al-Dein Street in Jerusalem, on the evening of Tuesday 28th August, eyewitnesses reported.
Store owner Loay Nasser al-Dein was arrested, and his computer, mobiles and an amount of money estimated to be 9400 NIS confiscated.
Eyewitness said that Loay was surprised whilst in one of his stores, when it was stormed by Israeli forces while he was sitting with friends. The eyewitnesses reported that the police forced Loay and his friends out of the store, searched it and rummaged in the contents of the store. The forces then arrested Loay and took him to al-Maskobiya interrogation center.
In a separate but similar incident, an Israeli force accompanied by staff from the Jerusalem Municipality raided a large fruits and vegetables street stall belonging to Meswada family in Jerusalem, on Monday 27th August.
A huge amount of fruits and vegetables was confiscated, estimated to be worth around 50,000 NIS, according to Hani Meswada, one of the store owners .
Hani Meswada said that the staff from the Jerusalem Municipality handed him an order to remove the front awning of the store within 24 hours, and threatened that if he didn't execute the order a fine estimated to be 4570 NIS will be imposed on him.
The Israeli police and Jerusalem Municipality were not available for comment.
http://fwd4.me/18Nt
Witnesses: Israeli forces demolish home near Bethlehem
Israeli forces on Wednesday demolished a home in a village near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, witnesses said.
Forces tore down Abdul Majid Abu Zamit's home in Juma neighborhood of al-Ubeidiya village, witnesses told Ma'an.
Israeli troops notified Abu Zamit they would demolish his home last week, citing its proximity to a bypass road leading to Jewish settlements in Jerusalem.
The home was in Area C, the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control.
On Tuesday Israeli forces demolished five wells and several tents in villages south of Hebron, residents said.
Forces bulldozed five wells and tents in Zanuta belonging to Odeh Abu Sharekh, Ideis Abu Sharekh, Nabil Samamreh and Mohammad Samamreh, locals said, adding that soldiers beat up residents who protested the demolition.
In Susiya, troops demolished two tents belonging to Mohammad Mousa Abu Ghanam, a father of 10, villager Nasser Nawaja said, adding that the family would be forced to sleep outdoors following the demolition of their shelters.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=515570
Israel to Demolish a House near Bethlehem
An Israeli court Wednesday rejected an appeal by a Palestinian family to stop a previous demolition order of their house in Abu Soud, an area west of the town of al-Khader , south near Bethlehem, according to a local activist.
The coordinator of the popular committee against settlements and the Apartheid Wall in al-Khader, Ahmed Salah, told WAFA that Ali Mousa appealed a demolition order of his residence, which houses 17 family members. The appeal was rejected and the court ordered the demolition to be carried out on Thursday.
The house will be demolished under the pretext that it was built without a permit and that it stands in the construction path of the Apartheid Wall, said Salah.
He noted that Mousa’s house was demolished four times before for the same reasons.
Salah urged human rights organizations to immediately intervene in the case and stop the demolition.
http://www.wafa.ps/english/index.php?action=detail&id=20550 30 aug 2012, 11:12 , Respect -
Maria 30 aug 2012
Israeli Forces Destroy Bedouin Sheds east of Bethlehem
Israeli forces Thursday destroyed seven Bedouin residential tents and sheds in the grazing fields, east of Bethlehem, according to a local activist.
Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and settlements in Bethlehem, Hassan Brijieh, told WAFA that a large Israeli military force, accompanied by bulldozers, attacked the Bedouins and destroyed seven residential tents and sheds, leaving their residents without a home.
He called upon human rights organizations and all relevant parties to provide the necessary help in order to strengthen the steadfastness of the local residents, adding that this is the third time the Israeli forces attack them.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=20561
Army To Demolish Homes In Silwan
Abu Diab said that the notices were handed to members of Abu Shafe’, Abu Rajab, Abu Diab, and Ar-Rishiq families, and added that the homes in question were built more than 20 years ago.
The Jerusalem Municipality claims that the homes were built without construction permits.
The official said that the notices did not mention the real name of the Al-Bustan neighborhood, and referred to it as the “King Neighborhood”, and added that this is part of Israel’s plan to demolish the homes and take over the neighborhood for the benefit of Israeli settlements.
It is worth mentioning that several homes in the neighborhood have been previously demolished, and several other homes were taken over by Israeli settlers.
Dozens of homes have also been demolished in the Old City of Jerusalem, and in East Jerusalem under claims that they were built without construction permits.
The Jerusalem Municipality usually refrains from granting construction permits to the Arab citizens of Jerusalem, an issue that forces some of them to build without permits due to natural growth of their families.
At the same time, Israel is ongoing with its construction and expansion of Jewish-only settlements in and around occupied East Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64154
Israel orders confiscation of Bethlehem village fields
The village found Israeli confiscation orders for an agricultural area on Thursday, which said that the land is considered Israeli state property.
Israeli authorities have ordered the confiscation of agricultural land in a village near Bethlehem, residents said.
Land-owners from Nahalin village headed to the fields on Thursday, and found confiscation orders for 12 dunams, saying the land is considered Israeli state property.
The land is near Israeli settlement Beitar Illit.
Village council chief Osama Shakarneh told Ma'an the land is planted with grapes, almonds and olives, and villagers have land ownership documents for the area.
The council has appealed to the Palestinian Authority to halt the confiscation, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=515723
IOA to confiscate cultivated land lots in Bethlehem
The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) has served confiscation notices to four Palestinian farmers in Nahalin village, west of Bethlehem.
Osama Shakarne, the municipality chief in the village, said on Thursday that the IOA civil administration delivered the notifications to the farmers for the confiscation of their land lots.
He said that the 12-dunum targeted land lots are planted with olive trees and grapes.
Shakarne feared that the next IOA step would be appropriating a 100-dunum land next to those land lots.
http://rx.hu/iqLE and http://rx.hu/bbQj
Army Demolishes Four Homes In the Negev
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Wednesday morning, several Arab villages in the Negev, and demolished four homes in what Israel describes as “unrecognized villages”.
The soldiers invaded Beer Hadaj village, and demolished two homes, including a home that belongs to resident Jom’a Abu Hadeera, 110 year old; the oldest man in the area.
The soldiers proceeded to demolish another home that belongs to resident Ahmad Al-‘Oweiwy.
In Rakhma village, the army demolished a home that was built two years ago; the home belongs to resident Odah As-Saghayra, his wife and seven children.
In October of last year, Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that a steering committee in Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office has approved “a five-year economic development plan for Israeli Bedouin”.
This is another step along the road to the implementation of the “Prawer recommendations”, which are presented as a “development plan” for the “improvement of living conditions” for all citizens of the Negev – but with the mass expulsion of the Bedouin Palestinian citizens at the heart of the proposal.
The exact number of ‘unrecognized villages’ to be destroyed in the Negev is unclear. While a commonly cited estimate for the anticipated number of displaced is 30,000, an advisor to Shimon Peres told US officials in 2005 that the “development of the Negev” would mean “displacement of some 65,000 Bedouin living in unrecognized villages” (which, taking into account natural population growth, is roughly the total number of Bedouin citizens living in all unrecognized villages).
Al-Araqeeb village in the Negev is one of the most impacted “unrecognized villages” as it was destroyed more than 30 times.
The Prawer plan calls for annexing more than 700.000 Dunams (185329 acres) and displacing the residents by demolishing 14 villages in the area.
All unrecognized villages in the Negev are under continuing Israeli attacks and violations, as Tel Aviv does not recognize the residents' right to live on their land -- land they inhabited long before the 1948 creation of the state of Israel in historic Palestine.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64153
Soldiers Demolish A Home In Bethlehem
File - Soldiers demolishing a Palestinian Home
Israeli soldiers demolished on Wednesday a Palestinian home in Al-Obaydiyya town, in the Bethlehem district.
Local sources reported that several military jeeps, accompanied by a military bulldozer, invaded the town and demolished a home that belongs to resident Abdul-Majid Abu Zmeit.
Last week, Abu Zmeit received a order issued by the Israeli military informing him that his home will be demolished “as it is close to the bypass road, used by Israeli settlers in area C”.
Area “C” in the occupied West Bank is under full Israeli military control and subject to frequent Israeli violations including the illegal annexation of lands for settlements and settler bypass road, and for military purposes.
Israel repeatedly restricts the movement of the residents in area C by installing roadblocks; large parts of area C are also designated by the army as “military zones”.
http://www.imemc.org/article/64152 31 aug 2012, 16:25 , Respect -
Maria 31 aug 2012
Media Pitch: Palestinian Olive Farmers Ordered to Uproot Trees in Deir Istiya
Bounded by citrus groves and nestled deep in the fertile valley of Wadi Qana, thousands of olive trees in Deir Istiya have been growing for years on either side of a meandering stream. Overlooking it, seven Israeli settlements have expanded on the surrounding hills.
Located in Area C of the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Civil Administration (ICA) has declared the valley a closed nature reserve, issuing orders to farmers on 27 August to uproot 180 olive trees by 2 September. The order to uproot is the second farmers from Deir Istiya have received in recent months. On 25 April, farmers received orders to uproot 1,400 olive trees, which would destroy the livelihoods of 8 families that depend on those trees to earn an income. The farmers affected have appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court.
The orders come as demolition by Israeli authorities of Palestinian property and infrastructure in Area C, including aid projects funded by foreign donors, has been on the rise, hindering Palestinian social and economic development and increasing the risk of displacement for already vulnerable communities.
Oxfam is working with olive farmers in Deir Istiya on a new three year programme "From Grove to Market" funded by the European Union (EU), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Projects Direct (Oxfam GB). If the trees are uprooted affected farmers in Deir Istiya will lose the opportunity to benefit from the international support to improve their oil and their income.
Nasser Mansour Qasam (Abu Rami), who is a member of the olive oil cooperative of Deir Istiya supported by Oxfam, is one of the Palestinian farmers whose trees are threatened to be uprooted. For generations his family farmed the land of Wadi Qana producing oranges, lemons, grapes and olives, accounting for their only source of income. As the settlements have expanded, he has seen his families' rights and income progressively denied.
Abu Rami says that he feels powerless against the worsening situation and the order to uproot his trees. "We have been raised here and yet we can't plant a tree in a land that belongs to us."
Background information:
Since 2006, Oxfam has been working with olive farmers and olive farming cooperatives in the West Bank. This work has helped farmers increase the quantity and quality of their oil and improve their income through improved market access locally and abroad.
The development of olive farmers and the olive oil sector is crucial, as it is an important source of food security, labour and cash income for 100,000 Palestinian families. In order to improve their income from olive farming, farmers need regular access to their trees so that they can prune, irrigate, and fertilize. However, for olive farmers in Area C or in the vicinity of the Israeli settlements, many groves are effectively off limits to Palestinians or access is highly restricted due to settlements, outposts, bypass roads, military bases, closed military areas and areas the government of Israel has designated as nature reserves.
These 'closed zones' have led to the expropriation of many tracts of agricultural land, harming both the agricultural economy and the welfare of farming families. According to a report issued by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Applied Research Institute- Jerusalem (ARIJ,) an estimated 800,000 olive trees have been uprooted since 1967 resulting in a loss of around $55 million to the Palestinian economy each year.
Source: Oxfam
Occupation steals Jordan River waters
Jordanian farmers in the Jordan Valley said the Zionist entity laid 10 inch diameter pipes to pump water from Jordan River to treatment plant in order to irrigate occupied lands and dispose salt water in the southern part of the river, increasing water salinity.
Adnan Khaddam, head of the Jordan Valley Farmers' Union, called through statements to the Jordanian "al-Arab al-yawm" newspaper for "taking legal actions to protect Jordan River from Zionist attacks represented in disposing waste water in the river and pumping the remaining of its water to the western side and desalinate it in order to irrigate farmlands."
"The installation of pipes by the occupation for pumping the rest of the river water is contrary to Wadi Araba Convention," added Khaddam.
For its part, Jordan Valley Authority denied its knowledge of the occupation's procedures of pumping the Jordan River waters to the West Bank and promised to take appropriate actions regarding this issue.