Tag: Olive Trees - Page 16 - International Solidarity Movement

‘Price tag’ attack in South Hebron Hills

10th May 2013 | Operation Dove, South Hebron Hills, Occupied Palestine

On May the 10th at about 6 a.m. some Palestinians from At-Tuwani and two Operation Dove volunteers found out that 62 olive trees had been cut during the night in a field next to the Bypass road 317.

Olive trees cut down (Photo by Operation Dove)

On a small wall nearby the olive field the sentence “price tag for those who steal” was found. The “price tag policy” (Hebrew: מדיניות תג מחיר) is, according to B’Tselem, the name given to “acts of random violence aimed at the Palestinian population and Israeli security forces” by radical Israeli settlers, who, according to the New York Times, “exact a price from local Palestinians or from the Israeli security forces for any action taken against their settlement enterprise”.

The olive trees grove belongs to the Amor Palestinian family and had been planted approximately 30 years ago. The members of the family which were present on the scene were particularly shocked for the loss.

The first jeep of soldiers arrived at about 7 a.m. followed by another army vehicle and a DCO (District Coordination Office) car. Around 7.30 a.m. a police car reached the area and an officer taped the incident’s scene with a camera. One member of the owner family spoke with the policeman giving him some information about the history of the olive trees. The Israeli police did not speak with the international volunteers and did not give any further details about the investigation. Around 8 a.m. Ma’on security chief arrived near the olive trees, spoke with the police and the soldiers and took some pictures. Some ten minutes later a DCO officer tried to detain a Palestinian shepherd from At-Tuwani accusing him of lacking respect to his authority. The Palestinian man denied and claimed that he did not say nothing bad to the officer.

Around 8.30 a.m. an Israeli soldier in charge of analyzing footprints started his investigation on the field. At the end of his research he declared that 6 people damaged the olive trees (5 men and 1 woman) while others were watching from distance.

In the afternoon, at about 2.30 p.m. a group of settlers set fire to a Palestinian wheat field close to the Palestinan village of Tuba. A Palestinian teenager saw them from distance while they were running away. The field belongs to the Aliawad family that has immediately called the Israeli police. When the police arrived the kid and his brother have been driven to the police station of Kiryat Arba for filing a complaint.

The olive trees and the wheat are an essential resource for the Palestinian community in South Hebron Hills area and their damaging causes a serious economic loss.

Nevertheless the Palestinian communities of the South Hebron Hills area are still strongly committed in the nonviolent popular resistance against Israeli occupation.

Operation Dove maintains a constant presence in At-Tuwani and South Hebron Hills since 2004.

Palestinian woman protests the destruction of the olive trees (Photo by Operation Dove) — Palestinian woman expresses her devastation at the destruction of the olive trees (Photo by Operation Dove)

Message from settlers "price tag for those who steal" (Photo by Operation Dove) — Message from settlers: “price tag for those who steal” (Photo by Operation Dove)

Settlers use rocks and sharp tools to attack 50 and 65 year-old farmers in Beit Furik

7th May 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Beit Furik, Occupied Palestine

by ISM Nablus

beitfurik-may13-fouzi — Fouzi, his bandages freshly changed for the day, holds a memento of the day he nearly was killed (photo: ISM)

Two olive farmers from the village of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, are recovering from head wounds in a near-lethal attack by colonial-settlers. Although both survived, they are in need of daily check-ups at a clinic in Nablus and are afraid to return to work on their land.

In the early afternoon of Monday 29th April, Fouzi Mousa Nasasra (65) and Abad al-Rahman Khatatba (50) went to put out fires started by settlers, from the nearby illegal settlement of Itamar, on their land just a brief walk away from their neighbouring homes. The fire service from Nablus also came to help put out the fire. Afterwards the pair took a rest on their land, which sits on a mountainside. Suddenly three settlers came at them in a surprise attack, with fifteen more in support. They hit them both in the head, with sharp farming tools and stones, repeatedly, causing them to collapse. Fortunately, other villagers saw what was happening and ran to help them, so settlers backed a retreat up the mountainside.

Both men needed hospital treatment for serious injuries to the head. Fouzi received 12 injuries to his head on 3 sides and Abad, 5 injuries to his head as he was able to put his hands up to protect himself. The fire, although it was put out, caused damage to approximately 300 olive trees.

When asked about the attack Fouzi spoke of how the settlers were laughing and ‘proud’ of what they were doing. He added that if there were no villagers about to see what happened he would be dead. He spoke of his concern of going back to his land, where he hasn’t returned even though it begins part-way along his road, after what happened and of past attacks in the last 12 years which have claimed two lives, 88 year-old Abu Odie and his own brother, 33 year-old Farrid Nasasra. Now Fouzi has to visit a clinic in the city of Nablus every day to change his dressings, as his wounds bleed all the time. Thankfully, he is expected to make a full recovery, scars aside, and should have the bandages and stitches completely removed in a month.

The attacks and killings are accompanied by the Israeli Occupation Forces forbidding Beit Furik’s farmers from harvesting olives on the mountain. This attack has been one of several in a recent upsurge in violence by settlers, particularly from Yitzar (in Burin, Huwwara, Urif and Asira), Esh Kodesh (in Jalud) and Elon Moreh (in Azmut), over the last week in the Nablus governorate district.

Abad and Fouzi's land on the mountainside by their houses (photo: ISM) — Abad and Fouzi’s land on the mountainside by their houses (photo: ISM)

beitfurik-may13-shirt — Fouzi’s bloodstained shirt, with further loss of blood he believes he would have died (photo: ISM)

“My land is like my identity…I will always replant my trees” – farmer resists as 500 olive trees uprooted in Beit Dajan

24th April 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Beit Dajan, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

Jamal Kanaan stays steadfast in Beit Dajan

On the 22nd April 2013, 500 trees belonging to Beit Dajan villager Jamal Kanaan were uprooted by the Israeli military; making a total of six times since 2002 that his olive trees have been destroyed by the Israeli authorities.

Around 50 soldiers arrived in the early morning and uprooted the young trees by hand, removing them in jeeps before Jamal could arrive and intervene in the theft of his trees. The olives had been planted just one year ago, following the Israeli army bulldozing his previous trees. Each of the five previous times that Jamal’s trees have been destroyed he has replanted them; even though they often don’t even grow old enough to produce olives.

This year, the military once again gave Jamal no notification that his trees were to be uprooted; the only time that he has had any sort of notice was in 2005 when a letter was left under a stone on his land.

Jamal’s trees are in Area C, meaning that the Israeli occupiers claim full administrative and civil control over the land, even though it is privately owned by Palestinians. On the ground, this designation means that Palestinians have to ask for permission to build, to plant and to use their own land – this permission is rarely granted. The outskirts of most Palestinian villages, including Beit Dajan are This is used as a tactic to restrict the livelihoods of Palestinians and stop expansion of Palestinian villages, whilst grabbing more land for illegal Israeli settlements.

Despite the repeated destruction of his trees, Jamal remains steadfast, saying today “I will not leave my land. My land is like my ID card, my identity. I will always replant my trees on my land. Whatever the occupation does, I will not leave.”

In February 2013, seven demolition orders were delivered to the village of Beit Dajan, ordering the destruction of homes, electricity pylons and homes for sheep – this decision is currently being fought in the Israeli courts and the demolitions have currently been delayed.

Jamal Kanaan's land in 2012 after the Israeli military had removed his trees - circles indicate where they had been planted. Photo credit Beit Dajan Municipality — Jamal Kanaan’s land in 2012 after the Israeli military had removed his trees – circles indicate where they had been planted. Photo credit Beit Dajan Municipality

Israeli soldiers and Border Police destroy 200 young olive trees in Palestinian village of Susya

23th April 2013 | Christian Peacemaker Team, South Hebron Hills, Occupied Palestine

Israeli soldiers and border police today used a backhoe to uproot 200 young olive trees in the Palestinian village of Susya in the South Hebron Hills. The demolition of the olive grove began at 8:00 am and finished at 10:45 am. The trees destroyed were planted about one year ago on land belonging to three families of the village, across a valley from the Israeli settlement of Susya.

Israeli bulldozer uprooting olive trees (Photo by CPT)

The village of Susya has existed since around 1830, and is present on British maps from 1917. In l983 Israeli settlers built a settlement at Susya, and many of the village’s residents were forced from their homes. These families now live nearby in isolated sites to the north of the settlement. The Israeli Civil Administration has informed residents of Palestinian Susya of their intention to carry out six demolition orders for houses that were issued in the 1990s and in 2001. These demolition orders cover 50 buildings, including homes, animal pens, solar energy panels and water cisterns.

These demolition orders have been issued despite the fact that Palestinian ownership of the land in Palestinian Susya is well established legally. Israeli attorney Plea Albeck stated in a legal opinion in l982 that the land in Palestinian Susya is Palestinian owned. Because the Israeli Civil Administration has not completed a master plan for the region, the residents of Palestinian Susya are unable to obtain building permits.

Since 2001 Israel has, through its military and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza, uprooted, burnt and destroyed more than 548,000 olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers and land owners.

Israeli bulldozer about to uproot an olive tree (Photo by CPT)

Palestinian woman carrying an olive tree which was going to be uprooted by Israeli forces (Photo by CPT)

Tree planting met by tear gas and settlers’ death threats

27th March 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Qaryut, Occupied Palestine

By Team Nablus

In commemoration of Land Day, five hundred villagers planted trees on land banned from cultivation for 17 years in the Palestinian village of Qaryut. The action was met by tear gas by Israeli soldiers and threats from Israeli settlers.

On 27 March, this action took place with a relatively large group of about 30 Palestinians including all of the owners of the land, near the illegal Israeli settlement of Eli.

The Palestinian tree planters were met at first by verbal harassment from the nearby settlers and death threats if the planters continued their action. Following, Israeli soldiers attempted to disband the group using tear gas on the gathering. The Palestinians tree planters remained to complete their action before leaving the site.

The nearest illegal Israeli settlements to Qaryut, which impose on Qaryut land as well as some surrounding Palestinian villages, include Eli, Shiloh and Shivot Rahil. Settlements surrounding Qaryut have made Palestinian olive tree burning common vandalism by settlers during summer months.
In addition, Israeli army soldiers enforce key roads closures on roads leading to Nablus and Ramallah.
A local municipality representative and UNICEF coordinator for youth events, said that Qaryut villagers filed an appeal to the Israeli government regarding these closures, but are awaiting response. In the meantime, Qaryut villagers hold regular peaceful demonstrations to open the roads, succeeding in this effort sometimes, the representative said, only for the road to be closed after the Palestinian demonstrators leave.
Nearby Israeli settlers also hold demonstrations claiming Qaryut as their land. Israeli school children arrive for field trips to Qaryut as part of the Israeli attempt to claim the land illegally and some ruins that exist on Qaryut land.
Qaryut is a village of 14000 dunum of which 78% has been illegally taken as Israeli land for settlements and agriculture. However, even the 9800 dunum left for the ownership of the native Palestinians is threatened often by bans on cultivation of land, olive tree damage by settlers , and further difficulty provided by key road closures enforced by the Israeli army.