Israeli Colonists Increase their Attacks During the Olive Picking Season in Hawwara Town

Violation: The burning and destruction of tens of olive trees.

Perpetrators: Colonists from the colonies of Brakha, Yetzhar and Itamar

Date: The olive picking season of 2010.

Location: The town ofHawwara in Nablus

 

 

The agricultural sector is considered the spine of Palestinian economy due to its large contribution to the GDP, the large number of job opportunities it creates, the fact that it is the main source of food and nutrition in addition to being an exportable commodity. At the beginning of each olive picking season, Palestinian farmers face increasing difficulties and challenges as colonists chase off Palestinian farmers from their lands to prevent them from collecting their olives. These attacks are coupled with official occupation policies that led to the uprooting of thousands of olive trees as a prelude for construction of colonies as well as the Israeli Racist Isolation Wall.

 

The southern area of the Nablus District has been a site of repeated colonists attacks against Palestinians and their property throughout the years. The olive picking season of this year is no different than past years; the area of Al Naqqar Parcel (located northwest of the town of Hawwara) witnessed on the 6^th of October the sawing off and damaging of 50 olive trees by Yitzhar colonists. The colonists used saws and sharp tools to cut off the vines and branches of the trees as Palestinians were getting ready to collect their share of this year’s yield. The damaged trees are owned by the 64-year-old Mr. Najeh Issa Shihada from Hawwara.

 

 Al Naqqar Parcel in Hawwara has an area of more than 400 dunums planted mostly with olive trees overlooking the colony of Yetzhar. The Parcel was a scene of continued and systematic attacks by the colonists of Yetzhar for the past 10 years as tens of cases of burning and olive trees cutting in addition to stealing olives were reported. Furthermore, incidents of physical violence by Yetzhar colonists against Palestinian farmers present in their lands in that area were also reported. For example, in the olive picking season of 2009, Yetzhar colonists attacked the 71-year-old Hajj Muwaffaq Ahamd Saleem Oudeh while he was looking after his land. Hajj Oudeh was surprised when he saw a number of colonists walking towards him. They ordered him to leave his land, but he refused to do so. Then one colonist pushed him to the ground while others physically attacked him.

 

Another targeted area is called Al Tira which is located to the east of the town of Hawwara. The area has faced colonists’ attacks at a rate similar to the one in Al Naqqar. The most recent attack took place on Thursday October 7^th, 2010, when a group of Yetzhar colonists burnt 10 olive trees in addition to large areas of weeds owned by Mr. Abdel Aziz Mohammad Shihada. Israeli occupation soldiers played a role in this attack as they have delayed the Palestinian fire brigade from reaching the site of the fire which led to massive losses to the Palestinian land owners. 

 

The town is located 8 kilometers south of the city of Nablus on Road 60 that connects between the north and south of the West Bank. Its population is 5,570 distributed amongst three main clans; Oudeh, Al Dmeiry and Al Khmous. About 3% of the population of the town are registered refugees. The total area of the town is 8,520 dunums of which only 1,116 dunums are its built up area. The colony of Yetzhar is built on the towns’ lands on an area of 331 dunums while Road 60 confiscated an additional 430 dunums of its lands.

 

The colony was established in the year 1983. Currently, its build up area is 788 dunums in which 440 colonists live. It confiscated lands from the towns and villages of Burin, Hawwara, Ein Yabous, Orif, Asira Al Qibliya and Madama.