Harming Livestock and Pastures as a New Way to Harm the Palestinian Existence in Al-Ghors

April 11, 2013

Since 1967, the Israeli occupation have put taking over the Palestinian ghors in its agenda. It has legislated laws and regulations to ensure achieving that goal. The occupation claims that al-ghors form the Israel’s borders from the east.

Since the Palestinian existence in Al-ghors poses a problem for the Israeli plans, the occupation uses every possible way to get rid of the Palestinians. Some methods are incompatible with humanity. Damaging livestock and crops, the Bedouin’s sources of income, has become a target in itself. The Israeli occupation have confiscated a big number of sheep and used military exercises as an excuse to harm crops and animals. Let alone confiscating a vast area of pastures for being ‘natural reserves’ and using it for military exercises. In addition, the occupation imposes burdensome fees on shepherds on the pretext of letting sheep graze in closed areas.

Pictures 1-2: general pictures of livestock in Al-ghors

The most followed ways by the Israelis to seize the assets of Al-ghors and harm livestock are:

Stealing sheep in complicity with the Israeli occupation:

On 15/04/2013, old Hmeedan Nawaja was surprised to see colonists besieging the area he used as a pasture only to find that his sheep were the target. The colonists stole them and headed towards "Beetav" colony nearby.

Nawaja told an LRC observer that, "I filed a complaint against the colonists to the Israeli police but till now, I have not got my sheep back. The case is still closed though I know from where the colonists came and to where they went and how they look like. But if your enemy is your judge, how can you complain?"

Spraying pastures with toxic chemicals and killing sheep:

The situation is not better in the med region of Al-ghors where the Israeli occupation has been expanding agricultural colonies.

A group of colonists sprayed huge quantities of toxics in pastures near "Makhora" and "Roui" colonies in an attempt to damage livestock wealth.

The same scenario happened in the north side of Al-ghors. Colonists sprayed wide areas with toxic pesticides leading to the death of 4 sheep and the poisoning of 2 cows.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection is used as a means to harm livestock wealth:

The mentioned institution claims to be legal and follows rules while in fact it helps the illegal colonies and colonists. In Al-ghors, the monitory forces complicated procedures and punitive measures on farmers who are not allowed to use places in Al-Maleh region as pastures on the pretext of fear of changing the environmental scenario and the vital and unique environmental diversity in the region. Saty Daraghma, for example, suffered from this when the occupation detained 2 of his cows and imposed a fine of 2,000 NIS for each cow if he wants to get them back.

It is worthy to know that the animal industry is about to collapse in Al-ghors due to the occupation’s harsh policies and measures which aim at getting rid of Palestinians and building more colonies instead.