The Israeli Occupation Confiscates 3 Tractors in Jiftlik

Violation: confiscating 3 tractors.

Perpetrators: the Israeli Occupation Army.

Date: March 30, 2011.

 

Jiftlik is known for its good climate, availability of water, and suitability for agriculture. Nevertheless, the Israeli Occupation sought the destruction of village by depriving the locals from their basic rights, confiscating land, and taking over water sources turning the village into an underdeveloped village.

 

 

 

The Israeli Occupation Army confiscated three tractors used for agricultural purposes concurrently with the beginning of the spring season. The ractors belong to Ashraf abu Dheila, Majli abu Dheila, and Fares abu Hatab, all from Jiftlik. The Israelis claimed that the aforementioned do not have ownership deeds and proper registration for the tractors used for land plowing and transferring water.

 

 

The Israelis have been trying to destroy the agricultural sector in the village for years, they never hesitate in damaging the sector which Palestinians depend largely on. The Israeli policies included land confiscation, preventing farmers from harvesting their crops, or irrigating their fields. They had also transferred most of the herding areas around the village into herding grounds in addition to taking over all of the 32 ground water sources.

 

There has been a systematical approach to drive the Palestinian out of the Jiftlik lands which spread reaching the Jordan River covering an area of 32000 dunums. Most of the village lands are unreachable because the Israelis consider them closed “Military zones”.

 

The village lacks basic needs of life:

 The Israeli measures rendered the village without an organizational structure; the villagers are living miserably, they cannot add new structures.It is known that the village houses are simple built out of bricks and mud; Mr. Sabbah Musa’ed, president of Jiftlik Village Council, stated to an LRC Observor: “in order to face the Israeli injustice and continuous aggressions, we had no other choice but to build by any cost to preserve our existence in the village.However, our life reflects misery, injustice, and inhumanity imposed by the Israelis who forces us to live a primitive life.The basic needs of life, water and electricity, are prohibited or unavailable; the electricity network is inefficient and the Israelis destroyed all the water wells and took over the water sources”.

 

During the past three years, Jiftlic received more than 28 orders against structures in the village; the Israelis claim that the buildings were built without receiving proper permits. The Israelis are betting that the Palestinians will be driven out under pressure, however, Mr. Walid al Kaabna, an activist, said: “all of the Israeli plans and efforts to drive us out are futile, the residents here are bound to these lands which they inherited from their ancestors; it will be so difficult to uproot them”.

 

Around Jiftlik, were the Israeli colonies of Hamra and Miswa stand; expansions and land devouring are apparent; in addition to the theft of Jiftlik’s water through the usage of huge pipelines. An Israeli colonists average share of water is times more the Palestinian individual.

 

Moreover, around by-pass road (90) huge areas of Palestinian lands are planted with palm and grapes, presenting a different type of agricultural colonization in the area.