Israeli war against Al Baq’a agriculture continues unabated

The Israeli occupation authorities launched a new wave of demolition and destruction campaign against Palestinian agricultural land in Al Baq’a area east of Hebron city. The fierce attack took place on 9 June, 2009, in which 8 agricultural water pools were destroyed and thousands of meters of drip-irrigation pipes were confiscated.

 

Talking to LRC field researcher, farmers from Al Baq’a area said an Israeli army force accompanied with bulldozers, hammers and workers stormed the area and began destroying the water pools, confiscating the drip irrigation pipes from the fields, uprooting grape trees, damaging ground crops and knocking down terraces and retaining walls inflicting heavy material losses.

 

In addition, water flow caused by the destruction of the pools swept over the agricultural fields cultivated with young grape seedlings and seasonal ground crops inflicting heavy damage on them.

 

The area of Al Baq’a, meaning in English the meadow, is the most fertile land in the governorate of Hebron. It provides the governorate with the best quality produce of grapes and vegetables. Therefore, it is considered a primary food basket in whole district of Hebron. Most farmers in the area depend on rain harvesting as main source for agricultural irrigation because of its unique location amidst hilly topography suitable for water harvesting in winter time.

 

#	Farmer’s name	Type of violation	Capacity M3 Area	Type of farming	Irrigated area Dunum	Attached photo #
1	Ziyad Jaber	Pool destruction	2000	Grape and vegs	5
2	Ziyad Jaber	Land bulldozing	1 dunum	Grape	0
3	Mohammed Nader Jaber	Pool destruction	1500	Vegs	20
4	Azmi Jaber	Pool destruction	1300	Grape	20
5	Azzam Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Grape	25
6	Azzam Jaber	Pool destruction	1000	Grape	00
7	Farid Abdul Azziz Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Tomato	4	00
8	Taleb Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Grape	8
9	Heirs of Said Jaber	Pool destruction	2000	Grape and vegs	20
10	Heirs of Said Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Grape and vegs	00
11	Imran Hamuda Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Grape	3
12	Abdul Wahhab Jaber	Pool destruction	1200	Grape	12
13	Abdul Wahhab Jaber	Land bulldozing	00	Grape	1
14	Muti’ Abu Odeh	Pipe confiscation	00	Tomato	5	00
15	Nabil Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Grape	1.5
16	Nabil Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Grape	6
17	Hasan Bader Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Grape	5
18	Rashid Khader Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Tomato	8	00
19	Yahiya Said Jaber	Pool destruction	3500	Grape and vegs	15	16
20	Shadi Fahmi Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Vegs	10	00
21	Fadi Jaber	Pipe confiscation	00	Vegs	3	00
22	Ramadan ar Rajabi	Pool destruction	00	Vegs	5	00
23	Jawad ar Rajabi	Pipe confiscation	00	Vegs	5	00
Total			12500 M3 of pools		181.5

 

According to the above table, almost 200 dunums of cultivated land and 8 pools were damaged.

 

Apart from the abovementioned losses the Israeli occupation authorities, also, destroyed the following material:

1.     Ten water pumping machines;

2.      Several fertilizing machines;

3.      One container full of agricultural equipment and tools at the value of 10000 US dollars owned by Mr. Yahiya Said Jaber;

According to affected farmers the total financial losses area estimated at half million dollars.

 

During the destruction campaign the Israeli forces beat the farmers and land owners and fired tear gas at them. A number of persons were, also, arrested including a woman.

 

 

The Al Baq’a area is located between the colonies of Kiryat Arab’a and Kharsina( Ramat Mamre), thus, it has become the focus of Israeli expansionist ambitions. The first destructive attack against this fertile area was the construction, at the beginning of the nineties, of the bypass road number 60 in its land which caused the loss of hundreds of dunums of vineyards and the prevention of any Palestinian construction  in that particular area.

 

The colony of Kiryat Arba’, the first and most extremist one in the whole of the West Bank was established in 1972.  Kiryat Arba’ and its northern neighborhood, Kharsina, are the largest colonies in the governorate of Hebron with a total population of 7000 by the end of the year 2007 controlling an area of 4047 dunums as municipal area including 882 dunums built up area (source: Foundation for the Middle East Peace-Washington) .

 

 

The people of Al Baq’a are mainly dependent on agriculture as main income. In an interview with LRC field researcher, a farmer form Al Baq’a said: ‘ One day I met an Israeli army officer when I was tending my land and he said to me that his wish was to see the Al Baq’a green area a totally barren land’.

 

The ongoing war of agricultural damage of Al Baq’a area is in the center of the Israeli policy in Hebron district with the main goal of emptying the land of its owners as a prelude for future Israeli settlement. Amongst the continued war is the demolition of homes, confiscation of agricultural machinery, violent attacks by settlers, uprooting of trees and spraying crops and trees with incendiary substances.

 

 

1.     Destruction of a pool and agricultural land in Al Buweira area, Hebron Governorate, June, 2009;

2.     A New Wave of Stop Work Orders In Al Beqa’ Neighborhood East of the City of Hebron, March,2009;

3.     The Colony of Kharsina Expands on the Expense of the City of Hebron, December,2008.

4.     Geopolitical situation Hebron Governorate, May, 2006

5.     The Apartheid Segregation Wall Plan In Hebron Governorate: Dispossession of Land and Resources, March-2004.