The Execution of 380 Trees in the Village of Mikhmas

Violation: The uprooting and breaking of 350 olive trees and 35 grapes, fig and plum trees.

Date: April 14^th, 2010.

Party of Violation: Israeli colonists from the colony of Ofera.

Violated: Mr. Imran Sa’eid Abu Ali, Mr. Ali A’aref Mohammad, Mr. Ali Muhanna, Mr. Muneer Adeeb Mustafa, Mr. Nazeer Zaghloul in addition to Mrs. Asmahan Musa Abu Ali.

Location: An area locally known as Umm Shuhaima in Parcel 17 at the western entrance of the village of Mikhmas in Jerusalem Governorate.  The village itself is located 16 kilometers north of the city of Jerusalem. Its population is about 1,447. The total area of the village is 17,109 dunums of which 440.4 dunums are its built up area. The village of Deir Dibwan borders the village from the north and the east while the village of Barqa borders it from the west and the village of Jaba’ borders it from the south.

 

 

A group of Israeli colonists from the colony of Ofra uprooted and damaged 380 trees between 4 to 6 years old. The targeted land in which the trees were in is a part of a mountainous ridge overlooking the bypass road that leads to the colony of Ofra.

 

 

 

The following table lists the names of the owners of the targeted lands, its area as well as the number of the uprooted trees per type:

 

Farmer Name	No. of Uprooted Trees Per Type		Area in dunums
	Olives	Figs, grapes and Plums
Imran Sa’eid Abu Ali	45	5	4.4
Ali A’aref Mohammad	60	20	3.5
Ali Muhanna	65	0	4
Muneer Adeeb Mustafa and Nazeer Zaghloul	85	10	5.7
Asmahan Musa Abu Ali	90	0	7.0
TOTAL	345	35	24.6

 

Palestinian farmers in the area use tankered water to irrigate their trees at a cost of NIS 100 per 4 cubic meters. Before the uprooting took place, the owners of the land plowed it at a cost of NIS 300 per plowing day. In addition to the uprooting, the colonists have damaged the fence that separated between the land and the bypass Road 60. The cumulative losses of this attack are estimated to be around $27,000.

 

 

 

Palestinians lands, especially in the vicinity of colonies and bypass roads, are a prime target for colonists. The Palestinian owners of these lands are usually prevented from building on it, working in it or even to access it. Between now and then, Israeli occupation forces issue a number of military orders to ensure control over the land. One type is the so-called “Cancellation of Violations Against Lands in the Road Buffer Zone” which is usually used against Palestinians using their lands located on both sides of bypass roads. Such orders are used despite the fact that the road and its buffer zone are established on Palestinian lands to begin with. Violations against such lands are carried out either by the Israeli occupation forces or by Israeli colonists working under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces.

 

The targeted lands are part of mountainous ridge that overlooks the bypass road leading to the colony of Ofra. The hundred of dunums of the ridge have become useless as their owners were prevented from accessing or working in it over the years. Those who “dare” to work in their lands are usually faced by a series of attacks by colonists including tree uprooting, physical beating of the farmers themselves, among other practices. All these “tools” are used to ensure control over the land using the Israeli “law” which states that any land that is left unattended for a period of 3 years can be declared as “State Land” to which no Palestinian access or usage is allowed.