The Israeli occupation authorities and army renewed the ban on Palestinian construction at the width of 300 meters from the eastern edge of the path of the Segregation wall. This ban was initially imposed in 2004 at the completion of the Wall construction and was renewed recently by the military order number T/06/04. The pretext given for  this action is, again, security. The ban targets the villages of Qaffin, Baqa ash Sharqiya, Nazlet Isa, Aqaba, Daher Al 'Abed, Qeiqis and Zababda in Tulkarem governorate.  In Qaffin alone, around 1220 dunums are not allowed to be built on as a result of this oppressive and illegal decision.

According to the military order, which was handed over to farmers and land owners in Qaffin, even the use of the land by it's owners is not allowed although most of it is cultivated with olive trees and seasonal ground crops.

 

Background to Qaffin

It is located to the north east of Tulkarem city surrounded by a number of hamlets and villages including Aqaba and Dar Abu Al 'Abed from north, Baqa ash Sharqiya from south, the Segregation Wall from west and Al Farisiya and Ya'bad from east. It's population toll is around 10000 inhabitants while it's total land area is 7500 dunums of which 1520 dunums are built up area.

 
Photo 2: Qaffin and the Wall path at it's western edge

 

Qaffin and the Wall

Approximately 1272 dunums (16.9%) of the total land area of Qaffin were separated behind or destroyed under the Wall path once it was built at the length of 2170 meters ( source: GIS department at LRC). The occupation authorities built only one Wall agricultural gate in Qaffin's land carrying the number of 436. It opens three times a day as followed: from 06:00-06:30, from 12:30-13:00 and from 16:16:30.

So far, out of one thousand farmers in Qaffin village only 120 succeeded to get passing permissions from the Israeli military to reach their land inside the Wall. The process of permission application is very complicated, if it is not impossible, and time consuming. Land registration documents, land surveys and security clearances are amongst the many requirements that should be met by farmers and land owners to get any passing permissions from the Israeli military, a process aimed at dispossessing Palestinians of their land.

 

Photo3: Another section of the Wall path that cuts in  Qaffin land

 

Ever since the establishment of the western Wall segregation zone the Israeli occupation authorities and army have been preventing Palestinians from approaching the agricultural and pastoral land along the eastern side of the Wall path under the pretext of being a closed military zone. In consequence, thousands of dunums of fertile West Bank land have been abandoned by their owners out of fear of arrest, death or financial fines.

Qaffin is economically deprived 

To a large extent the people of Qaffin depend on agriculture as main income. About 90% of the total land area is cultivated with olive orchards bringing about 3 Million Dollars a year of cash.

 

Due to the construction of the Wall and the loss of about 20% of the agricultural land area along both sides of the Wall coupled with the deprivation of farmers from reaching their land The Qaffin village has already lost most of it's income. In the meanwhile, the construction of the Wall has, also, deprived the village of its secondary income represented in the labor market and exchange of trade with Israel. All these factors together have caused the loss of almost 85% of the total income of the village bringing to 70% the unemployment record in the village.

 

Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC