On Saturday morning, 2nd of May, 2009, a group of Palestinian farmers from the village of Jit, Nablus district, headed to their agricultural fields in the area of Biyar Al 'Adas located 500 meters at the north eastern side of the village for the purpose of tending their land. As soon as they arrived they were surrounded with a big gang of Israeli settlers wearing religious addresses who came form the colony of Gilad Zoher ( Gilad farm) which is only 240 meters away from the scene. The settlers who were accompanied by an army force started to throw stones at the farmers inflicting multiple injuries on Mr. Ahmad Mohammed Abu Baker, 64 years old. The settlers kept on attacking the farmers with the presence of the soldiers who were firing live ammunition in the air in the direction of the farmers to scare them back. The settlers, also, poured sand in the oil cartridge of Mr. Abu Baker's tractor bringing it out of work and damaged the whole quantity of the farmers' food stuff. In addition, they used incendiary material against the farmers causing multiple burns to Mr. Abu Baker who needed treatment at Qalqiliya hospital. Finally, the settlers stole some manual and traditional agricultural equipment that are used by farmers to tend their land.
It is worth mentioning that the sound of firing were heard in the village and pushed a large number of villagers to rush to the scene to support their trapped farmers which, in turn, forced the settlers and soldiers to retreat.
Background to Gilad farm
It was established in June, 2002 and named Gilad Zoher or Gilad farm after the sons of settler Zoher who first occupied the place and who was one of the masters of the Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and a member of Mair Kahana's extremist and colonial group. This colonial group was very active during the seventies and eighties of the last century whose leader Mair Kahana was assassinated in America in the first half of the eities. The outpost was established over the land taken form the villages of Far'ata, Immatin, Sura and Tel. Only one family lives in this outpost –Zoher's extended family. The nearest colony to this outpost is Karnei Shomron in Qalqiliya district that was built deep inside the West Bank.
An accumulation of attacks
This incident is the latest in the long series of attacks and aggressions that started immediately after the founding of this outpost in 2002. The surrounding villages of Far'ata, Immatin, Sura, Tel and Jit are the victims of these attacks which include, to name but a few, the burning and/or stealing of crops, killing and/or stealing of livestock, beating of farmers and shepherds, and attacking houses. Since the beginning of 2008 until now more than 30 attacks have been registered with the Israeli DCO against Gilad's family members but to no avail.
According to Betslem ( the Israeli human rights information center) the attacks are organized by the sons and grandsons of Zoher who attract large numbers of extremist settlers from Kiriyat Arba' colony in Hebron district to their place, mainly on Shabbats, to take part in these attacks whose initiators and organizers are very well known to the Israeli authorities.
- Burning Agricultural Lands in the Village of Farata, 11,October,2008.
- Settlers of Gila’ad Zoher outpost Continue Sabotaging Palestinian Lands in the Village of Far’atta, 04,September,2008
Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC
