Colonists open a road and cut down 20 olive trees in Kafr Al-Labad / Tulkarm governorate

Colonists open a road and cut down 20 olive trees in Kafr Al-Labad / Tulkarm governorate

 

  • Violation: Opening a colonial road and cutting 20 olive trees.
  • Location: Kafr Al-Labad / Tulkarm governorate.
  • Date: August 10th 2020.
  • Perpetrator: The new outpost west the town.
  • Victims: Number of farmers from the town.

Description:

Colonists continue to control more agricultural lands around “Avnei Hefetz” in order to increase colonization, and impose realities on the ground.

Monday October 10th 2020, a group of colonists from “Avnei Hefetz” opened a new colonial road about 3 km long in Kafr Al-Labad in an area known of “Ras Al-Maseed” , Noting that those lands are postures for Palestinian herders.

Photo 1: A segment from the road

Kafr Al-Labad Municipal council member Abdul Khaliq Jubara told LRC the following:

“Monday, About 2:00 am, people of Kafr Al-Labad woke up to the ravages being held in Ras Maseed , and a group of colonists were seen bringing in a bulldozer and an excavator then carried on opening a colonial road west the village , leveling to take over more than  “400 dunums” between the outpost and the new colonial road , Noting that most lands are unused as a result of the Occupation’s arbitrary policies that prohibit any developmental projects in the area.

The targeted lands are in Natural Block (16) from Wad ‘Ali and Ras Al-Maseed , the Land has Tapu papers , and registered in the names of several farmers , and they are located about 1 km north the new outpost, the new road will also level to take over vast area of Kafr Al-Labad , Shufa , Hafasi and Kafa hamlets south Tulkarm city.”

Photos 2+3: Of colonies and outposts on Kafr Al-Labad lands

Reportedly, illegal colonists were seen ravaging and opening a colonial road in Shofa village lands last May.

Uprooting trees at Kafr Al-Labad village:

Illegal colonists also vandalized and cut olive trees in “Ad-Derban” area west the village, the targeted lands are only 300 m away from the outpost, colonists sneaked to olive groves Saturday night August 8th 2020 , and using sharp tools they vandalized 28 olive trees aging (45 years old), the targeted trees belong to : Heirs of ‘Adel Rajab (20 olive trees) , Farmer Waleed Rajab (8 olive trees), Noting that Farmer Hiam Rajab (51) went to her plot in August 9th 2020 and found the vandalized trees.

Farmer Hiam Rajab told LRC the following:

“My three brothers and I , own four dunums of olive groves that we take care of and cultivate regularly , since the day the outpost was established , we have been suffering regular assaults . The most recent attack was represented in cutting and vandalizing trees , noteworthy during the last few months colonists cut hundreds of olive saplings from Ash-Shofa , and now they expand harassments’ circle to reach out for other villages.”

Kafr Al-Labad in lines:[1]

Kafr Al-Labad village is administratively related to Tulkarm governorate , it is one of the West Bank land located to the east of Tulkarm about 9 km away ,and to the south of ‘Anabta about 2 km away.

Kafr Al-Labad is surrounded by villages of Ramin, ‘Anabta,  Beit Leed , Safareen, Shufa and Thanaba. (Source: Kafr Al-Labad village council) . Kafr Al- Labad has a total area of 11,917dunums , of which 732 dunums are a built up area , and with a population of 4,074 people. (Source : Geographical Information Unit – Land Research Centre).

 

[1] GIS-LRC

 

 

 

 

Categories: Settlement Expansion