Setting more than 800 Trees Ablaze in Zwata village – Nablus Governorate

Violation: setting more than 800 olive trees ablaze.

Location: Ad Dabi’ – Zwata.

Date: July 17, 2011.

Perpetrators: the Israeli Occupation Army.

Victims: farmers of Zwata.

 

On July 17, 2011, Israeli soldiers set olive fields alight in Zwata, damaging more than 800 trees.

Israeli soldiers detonated an explosive device nearby the by-pass road penetrating the village; the detonation started the fire which spread rapidly in the area. The heat and the spread of hay aided in the widespread of flames which consumed an area known as Ad Dabi’. As usual, Israeli troops obstructed the fire trucks hurrying into the area claiming that there were no prior coordination with the District Coordination Office (DCO).

 

 

 

The damaged olive trees, mostly 45 years old belong to a number of farmers from Zwata. Mohammad Sedqi stated to an LRC observer: “the Israelis always try to start troubles nearby the by-pass road penetrating the village, it stretches up to 6 km in the village lands. The by-pass starts at the nearby Deir Sharaf passing through Zwata to Mountain Aibal. The recent aggression is an evidence of the Israeli continuous hostility. The by-pass rendered the people lives miserable because of the continuous oppressions and arbitrary measures evident in plowings, beatings, confiscation of property, and harrasments made on the pretext of protecting soldiers and colonists. Furthermore, some people were forced to abandon their fields due to the same reasons as well as preventing them from exploiting their lands.”

 

It is located 6 km to the north west of Nablus city. Its total area is around 3483 dunums according to the village council.

The village built-up area is around 787 dunums inhabited by around 2500 people; the rest is used for agricultural purposes, mostly olive fields. The by-pass penetrating the village took over more than 600 dunums of land besides obstructing the farmers access to their fields.