“Israel declared it a Nature Reserve” Israeli Military Evacuation Orders for the Palestinian Lands in Wadi Qana area in Deir Istiya Village North of Salfit Governorate

On April 30, 2011, five Palestinian farmers from Deir Istiya village north of Salfit at the northern parts of the West Bank, stumbled on Israeli military orders hanged on the trees while they were cultivating their lands in Wadi Qana area. The orders were issued by what is so-called the “Israel Nature and National Park Protection Authority” related to the Israeli Civil Administration, and holding numbers: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 respectively and issued in April, 29, 2011.

 

The orders were in fact warning notice for the Palestinian owners to evacuate their own lands and to remove and dismantle all what exists on the land point out in the warning notices, this includes but not limited to trees, infrastructure installations, or anything else, under the pretext that the lands area is “Nature Reserve”. The orders also indicated that the owners of the lands have 24 hours to evacuate the lands otherwise they will be subjected to fine, imprisonment and other punitive measures not specified in the notifying orders.

 

The owners of the targeted lands are:  Mr. Youseph Mustapha Mansour, Mr. Shihadeh Mohammad ‘Awad, Mr. Muqbel ‘Awad, Mr. Haiytham Mansour, and Mr. Rizeq Abu Naser.

Mr. Nazmi Salman, the mayor of Deir Istiya, and in an interview with ARIJ field workers indicated that the targeted lands in Wadi Qana area are owned by the local residents of Deir Istiya and they used to cultivate it dozens of years ago, and only before few days the Israeli Occupation Army installed a banner on the entrance of Wadi Qana area indicated that the area classified as a “Nature Reserve”. See the pictures below:

  

  

 

                   

Wadi Qana is located to the north east of Deir Istya surrounded by the Palestinian villages of Jinsafut, Kafr Laqif, ‘Azzun (north), Sniriya, Kafr Thuluth (west), and Qarawet Bani Hassan (south), Amatin (east).

Around 350 people used to live in Wadi Qana until most of them were forced to leave by the Israeli Occupation Army in 1986. The ruins of their houses are still visible beneath Karni Shomron settlement.

Wadi Qana is known for its fertile land, beautiful nature, and availability of water where 11 natural springs exist in the area and currently controlled by the Israelis. Most of the lands in Wadi Qana are property of farmers of Deir Istiya.  The total area of Wadi Qana is more than 10000 dunums in area; it is mostly planted with olive trees, citrus, and fruits, where agriculture constitute the main source of income for dozens of Palestinian families living in the surrounding villages. See the map below:

 

According to its strategic location in which it lies between 8 Illegal Israeli settlements, Wadi Qana became a legitimate target for the Israeli Occupation Army and for the Israeli settlers in the adjacent Illegal settlements to confiscate the lands for the interest of expanding the Israeli settlements. In April 2011, Wadi Qana witnessed various colonial and expansionist violations as follow:-

                                                                               

 

Table of the Illegal Israeli Settlement encircle Wadi Qana and built inside Deir Istiya Village Boundary
Israeli Settlement	Date of Establishment	Population	Area –dunums ( Inside the Village Boundary)
Ginnot Shomron	1985	3000	790
Nofim	1986	400	641
Revava	1991	827	321
Qiryat Netafim	1982	438	2
Emmanuel	1981	2700	840
Karni Shomron	1978	6300	295
Ma’ale Shomron	1980	574	146
Yakir	1981	1000	661
Total	****	15,239	3,696
Source :ARIJ Database 2011

 

Deir Istiya is a small Palestinian village, located 7 km away north of Salfit City, and 25 km away from the city of Nablus. It is placed under Salfit Governorate jurisdiction. A side road connects the village to the main road in the area, Nablus- Jerusalem road. It is surrounded by different Palestinian villages including Zeta, Kafl Haris, Haris, Amatin, ‘Azzun, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Biddya, and others.

The village is inhabited by 4,860 people (PCBS 2010); most of them depend on agriculture as a main source of income. The total area of Deir Istiya is 34,102 dunums, 487 dunums of which constitute the village build-up area.

 

Israel is moving steadily in its colonial and expansionist long term plan to extend its control over the Palestinian lands, to expand its Illegal settlements and to dismember the Palestinian lands into cantons and enclaves strangulated by the Apartheid Wall and by the Illegal settlements in order to eliminate any chance for a future sovereign, independent viable, Palestinian State.

 

The confiscation and evacuation of the Palestinian-owned lands by the Israeli Occupation Army constitute a grave breach for the International law rules and conventions where it refuses to comply with the International law and legitimacy for more than 60 years.