Colonists cut down olive trees and close agricultural road in the Bethlehem village of Nahhalin

Colonists cut down olive trees and close agricultural road in the Bethlehem village of Nahhalin

                     
Violation
: killing olive trees

Location: Jamjoum area- Nahhalin

Date: March 10, 2017

Perpetrators: Gab'out colonists

Victims:  citizen Isa Fanoun

 

Details:

On March 10, 2017, colonists of Gab'out carried out an attack on olive groves, targeting trees aging 10 years in the area Jamjoum of Nahhalin village, west Bethlehem city.

Reportedly, colonists cut down 25 olive trees using sharp tools. Noteworthy, the trees belong to citizen Isa Fanoun, who was informed of the incident by  his neighbors later on.

Photos 1-2: the attacked trees

In the same context, the Israeli Occupation Forces closed an agricultural road in the area that lead to hundreds of dunums of agricultural lands. Noteworthy, the closure was implemented via earth mounds. Now, farmers face difficulty collecting their harvest and taking care of their lands as a result.

Photos 3-4: the closed road

A member from Nahhalin council, Majid Ghayatha, told Land Research Center the following:

"  Despite the presence of many surveillance cameras in the area, Gab'out colonists continue on carrying out attacks against Palestinians. When in courts, the government cover their backs and never show footage  to indict them".

Nahhalin:

The village is located 10km to the south west of Bethlehem and 3.5 km to the east of the armistice line of 1949.

The village's total area is 18,858 dunums including 890 dunums of built-up area, inhabited by8805 people according to the PBS statistics of 2014.

Israel has confiscated 4,283 dunums from the village lands 3,583 dunums of which  for colonial expansion purposes and 700 dunums for the favor of bypass roads. There are 8 colonies founded  over the village lands namely (Beit Ein, Tsoref, Majdal Oz, Jabot, Kfar Etzion, Efrat, Illit, Rosen Tsurem and Allon Shevut).

 

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC