Ravaging 18 Olive Trees in Burin village

Violation: attacking an olive field and ravaging 18 trees.

Location: Habayel abu Ismael – Burin.

Date: December 15, 2011.

Perpetrators: colonists of Yizhar.

Victim(s): Rif’at al Najjar.

 

The Palestinian lands have been a target for the Israeli official and unofficial attacks; most of these attacks are carried out reflect the brutality of colonists spreading all around the West Bank. In southern Nablus, the village of Burin faces daily aggressions; it has become a symbol of suffering and struggle.

 

On December 15, 2011, a group of Yizhar colonists broke into an area known as ‘Habayel abu Ismael’ in Burin at dawn. The colonists used melee weapons to ravage 18 olive trees in a field located 600 meters away from the village houses. The trees are property of Rif’at al Najjar of Burin. The area has been a target for several aggressions over the past years; hundreds of olive trees and seedlings were burned, uprooted, or stolen by colonists of Yizhar and Baracha.

 

  

 

Mr. Ali al Najjar of Burin Village Council stated to an LRC observer: ‘targeting olive trees in burin has happened several times; it is obvious that the Israelis have realized the importance of the tree for the Palestinian people. Not a summer season nor an olive picking season passes without similar Israeli assaults. The real purpose of such attacks is the destruction of agriculture in the area, consequently, paving the way for further colonialism. ‘

 

The colony of Yizhar was established in 1983 on Palestinian lands belonging to the villages of Burin and Asira Al Qiblia south west of the city of Nablus. The colony has expanded multiple times ever since as additional tens of dunums were confiscated for that purpose. The additional dunums were taken from the villages of Burin, Asira Al Qiblia, Oreef, Madama and Huwwara. The built-up area of the colony was 158 dunums as of 2005 while the area of land under its jurisdiction is about 1,800 dunums located in Parcel 8. The confiscated lands were from the locations of Salman Al Farisi, Al Marj, Jabal Al Nada and Khalil Salameh Al Muhr.   

 

The number of Israeli colonists in the colony has grown over the years; in 1983 there were 64 colonists while in 1998 the number grew to 291. In 2004 around 534 colonists lived there. Around 90% of them are from the Israeli extreme right.