Concurrently with the Beginning of the Olive Picking Season, Etz Efrayim Colonists Steal the Olive Crop

Event: thetheft of the long-waited olive crop.

Date: October 10, 2010.

Violators: Etz Efrayim colonists.

Victims: a number of Mas-ha villagers.

 

 

With the beginning of the olive picking season, hundreds of Palestinians patiently wait for permitting them to pass through the segregation wall which isolated more than 550 dunums of Mas-ha’s lands. The wall rendered the lands unreachable before getting a special permit from the Israeli Occupation Authorities. The Israelis define the criteria for issuing the permits, a criteria that is considered degrading and humiliating by the Palestinians.

 

 

 

On the western side of the wall, horrible types of oppression and racism are taking place. These are demonstrated by the theft of the agricultural lands and the modification of its shape.

 

Alcana A, Alcana B, and Etz Efrayim colonists are the most active parties when it comes to theft.

 

Etz Efrayim colony is mostly built over Mas-ha lands. In addition, the colonists on the other side of the wall have unlimited freedom to do whatever they wish to the Palestinian lands. Their actions include, plowing, leveling, uprooting trees; basically, destroying the Palestinian citizens lands. The citizens who were deprived from their right to exploit their lands owned by Palestinian generations.

 

The current olive picking season has not been different than the previous ones. The Israeli complications and the complexity to get a permit to pass through gate 1534 which leads to the villagers olive fields located behind the wall have always been the same.

 

Years pass without being able to reach the areas such as Wa’rat al ‘Adas and parcel 2 which are parts of Mas-ha lands detached by the wall. The Palestinians were shocked to see the olive trees naked! The Israeli colonists stole all their crop.

 

24 dunums were empty of any olive; nothing at all. In addition, the colonists deliberately broke many of the olive branches to inflict more damage.

 

The Palestinians olive season turned into a disastrous one after putting too much hope on this season’s yield. The villagers wished to complain. Nevertheless, who are they going to complain to since the judge and the thief are one!

 

 

Sadiq Zeeb, one of the victims, stated to an LRC observer: “ it is not the first time that colonists steal our produce. it happened during the past years as well! The colonists take advantage of the fact that we cannot reach our lands and steal what they can. Every time this happened, we complained to the Israeli police but it is ineffective! The Israeli police never showed any interest as if it is none of their concern. The Israeli police reaction encouraged the colonists to inflict more damage by pumping sewage water in our fields that have been planted with olives for years”.

 

Etz Efrayim was established in 1985; its corner stone was placed over Sanniriya village lands. The colony has been expanding ever since. Its total area nowadays is 539 dunums of which 344 dunums are built over Mas-ha lands. It covers areas in ‘Azoun ‘Atma, Sanniriya, and Mas-ha villages.

 

It must be known that the colonists, like any other colonists in the West bank, never hesitated to steal Palestinian lands and take over Palestinian properties.

 

One of the biggest challenges the Palestinians are facing is the pumping of sewage water in their fields. The colonists took advantage of the segregation wall to pump sewage towards the olive fields, turning them into a defiled area.

 

Moreover, Etz Efrayim colonists plan to open a road that connects them to the nearby Oranit and Shaare Tikva  colonies. They plan to turn the area into a huge colonial compound administered by one body and with the sole objective of seizing more Palestinian lands.