Israeli colonists plant a hill with trees, a preamble step to confiscating it.

Violation:  planting trees in Palestinian fields in addition to the destruction of a vineyard.

Location: Al Baq’a Neighborhood, Hebron.

 

 

Date: February 1, 2010 and February 7, 2010

Victims: Jaber, Al Salaymah, Al Za’tari, Kamel, Al Batlous, Al Talhami, and Jaradat clans.

 

Israeli colonists always attempt to control mountain summits, following the call made by their former prime minister ‘Ariel Sharon’ who called for ‘controlling the mountains summit that were lost to Palestinians after the Oslo Agreements’.

 

Such calls were based on racial policy that encourages the Israeli colonists to lay their hands on as many Palestinian lands as possible in order to establish new Israeli colonies in the West Bank.

 

Al Baq’a neighborhood is located to the east of Hebron City. Israeli colonists assumed control over one of the hills in the neighborhood that suffers from gradual aggressions.

 

The by-pass road (60) splits the neighborhood into two halves and two Israeli Occupation colonies (Kiryat Arba’ and Kharsina) were built on the neighborhood lands. It must be noted that the most extreme colonists live around Al Baq’a, attacks against Palestinians are recorded on daily bases. Although Kharsina is expanding gradually, Palestinians in the area are not allowed to.

 

Al Baq’a area contains one of the most fertile lands in the West bank which makes it a decisive target for the colonists.

 

Colonists of Kiryat Arba’ and Kharsina have escalated their attacks against Palestinian farmers in Al Baq’a, a step towards taking control of thousands of dunums (1 dunum = 1000 m2) of Palestinian lands.

 

According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of Israelis showed up on the hill located to the opposite of Kiryat Arba’ colony with hundreds of seedlings which they planted on the Palestinian properties. All of this was done under the protection of the Israeli Occupation Army Soldiers who accompanied the colonists.

 

 

 

Yaser Jabir, a resident of Al Baq’a stated:’ prior to the colonies arrival, a group of the Israeli Occupation Army soldiers appeared in the area. They informed us that the settlers are coming to the area for the purpose of planting trees. Moreover, they said that none of us should leave his house or try to protest if we want to be safe and do not expose ourselves to danger’.

 

Furthermore, they threatened ‘Ata Jabir of re-occupying his house if he tried to object on what was going to happen.

 

Yasir said that the colonists brought with them speakers and sound systems and made a celebration on the mountain summit. One of the colonists stated in a speech:’ the settlers, in the land day, are going to plant trees in the new Kiryat Arba’ lands for further expansion of the colony’.

 

Yasir said also that more than 500 people participated in the ceremony, most of them were children and young men who are students in the religious schools built in Hebron.

 

The Palestinians were not able to comply with the Israeli Occupation Army orders; they could not simply stand and watch the theft of their lands so they tried to protest. The Israeli Occupation Army interfered by using tear gas and beating the Palestinians. They also placed some of them into custody.

 

Moreover, a reporter was hit by the Israeli soldiers during the attack.Soon afterwards, the Israeli Occupation Army announced Al Baq’a a closed military zone.

 

 

The targeted hill is thousands of dunums in area. The lands there belong to various Palestinian families. In addition, 15 Palestinian houses stand on the hill. Following the departure of the colonists and the soldiers, the Palestinians removed all the planted seedlings from their lands.

 

On February 7, 2010, Badran Jabir was surprised to see that tens of grapes trees in his field that is located nearby the by-pass road (60) were destroyed. Badran stated that he believed that colonists attacked the 4 dunums vineyard during the night and destroyed the trees. He claimed an estimated loss of 70000 shekels.

 

  
Picture 7+8+9: vineyard sabotage

 

Badran claimed that this was done to avenge the uprooting of the seedlings that were planted by the colonists a week earlier. Badran remembered the colonists’ actions in the early eighties of the last century when they formed a secret society called ‘terror against terror’. Their job was attacking Palestinian citizens and establishments. Their actions included aggressions against ‘Azmi al Sh’uaibi, Bassam al Shak’a, and the martyr Karim Khalaf. He expressed fear of reestablishing this society.

 

The Israeli Occupation Authorities handed over demolition orders against houses in Al Baq’a neighborhood for the second time after issuing demolition threats for the same house back in March 2009. The Israeli Occupation plan is expanding Kiryat Arba’ colony on Palestinian lands.

 

The Israeli Occupation Authorities plan to apply the settle and colonize policies that were used back in 1948 and 1967 when Palestine was conquered.

 

The Israeli colonists are looking forward to see the expansion of Kiryat Arba’ and Kharsina colonies on thousands of dunums of Palestinians’ lands. This can only be done by the demolition of many Palestinian houses in the area, an action condemned by all the humanitarian and International laws.