The Israeli occupation authorities launched a new wave of demolition and destruction campaign against Palestinian agricultural land in Al Baq’a area east of Hebron city. The fierce attack took place on 9 June, 2009, in which 8 agricultural water pools were destroyed and thousands of meters of drip-irrigation pipes were confiscated.
Talking to LRC field researcher, farmers from Al Baq’a area said an Israeli army force accompanied with bulldozers, hammers and workers stormed the area and began destroying the water pools, confiscating the drip irrigation pipes from the fields, uprooting grape trees, damaging ground crops and knocking down terraces and retaining walls inflicting heavy material losses.
In addition, water flow caused by the destruction of the pools swept over the agricultural fields cultivated with young grape seedlings and seasonal ground crops inflicting heavy damage on them.
Primary food basket
The area of Al Baq’a, meaning in English the meadow, is the most fertile land in the governorate of Hebron. It provides the governorate with the best quality produce of grapes and vegetables. Therefore, it is considered a primary food basket in whole district of Hebron. Most farmers in the area depend on rain harvesting as main source for agricultural irrigation because of its unique location amidst hilly topography suitable for water harvesting in winter time.
Table 1: Inflicted losses by farmers’ name, type of violation, area, type of farming, irrigated area and attached photo
|
#
|
Farmer’s name
|
Type of violation
|
Capacity
M3
Area
|
Type of farming
|
Irrigated area
Dunum
|
Attached photo #
|
|
1
|
Ziyad Jaber
|
Pool destruction
|
2000
|
Grape and vegs
|
5
|
 |
|
2
|
Ziyad Jaber
|
Land bulldozing
|
1 dunum
|
Grape
|
0
|
 |
|
3
|
Mohammed Nader Jaber
|
Pool destruction
|
1500
|
Vegs
|
20
|
 |
|
4
|
Azmi Jaber
|
Pool destruction
|
1300
|
Grape
|
20
|
 |
|
5
|
Azzam Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Grape
|
25
|
 |
|
6
|
Azzam Jaber
|
Pool destruction
|
1000
|
Grape
|
00
|
 |
|
7
|
Farid Abdul Azziz Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Tomato
|
4
|
00
|
|
8
|
Taleb Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Grape
|
8
|
 |
|
9
|
Heirs of Said Jaber
|
Pool destruction
|
2000
|
Grape and vegs
|
20
|
 |
|
10
|
Heirs of Said Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Grape and vegs
|
00
|
 |
|
11
|
Imran Hamuda Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Grape
|
3
|
 |
|
12
|
Abdul Wahhab Jaber
|
Pool destruction
|
1200
|
Grape
|
12
|
 |
|
13
|
Abdul Wahhab Jaber
|
Land bulldozing
|
00
|
Grape
|
1
|
 |
|
14
|
Muti’ Abu Odeh
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Tomato
|
5
|
00
|
|
15
|
Nabil Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Grape
|
1.5
|
 |
|
16
|
Nabil Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Grape
|
6
|
 |
|
17
|
Hasan Bader Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Grape
|
5
|
 |
|
18
|
Rashid Khader Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Tomato
|
8
|
00
|
|
19
|
Yahiya Said Jaber
|
Pool destruction
|
3500
|
Grape and vegs
|
15
|
16
|
|
20
|
Shadi Fahmi Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Vegs
|
10
|
00
|
|
21
|
Fadi Jaber
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Vegs
|
3
|
00
|
|
22
|
Ramadan ar Rajabi
|
Pool destruction
|
00
|
Vegs
|
5
|
00
|
|
23
|
Jawad ar Rajabi
|
Pipe confiscation
|
00
|
Vegs
|
5
|
00
|
|
Total
|
12500 M3 of pools
|
|
181.5
|
|
||
According to the above table, almost 200 dunums of cultivated land and 8 pools were damaged.
Further losses
Apart from the abovementioned losses the Israeli occupation authorities, also, destroyed the following material:
1. Ten water pumping machines;
2. Several fertilizing machines;
3. One container full of agricultural equipment and tools at the value of 10000 US dollars owned by Mr. Yahiya Said Jaber;
According to affected farmers the total financial losses area estimated at half million dollars.
During the destruction campaign the Israeli forces beat the farmers and land owners and fired tear gas at them. A number of persons were, also, arrested including a woman.
Photo 17: A huge electric tower to be erected in the land of Abdul Wahhab Faraj to serve Israeli colonies.
Expansionist goals
The Al Baq’a area is located between the colonies of Kiryat Arab’a and Kharsina( Ramat Mamre), thus, it has become the focus of Israeli expansionist ambitions. The first destructive attack against this fertile area was the construction, at the beginning of the nineties, of the bypass road number 60 in its land which caused the loss of hundreds of dunums of vineyards and the prevention of any Palestinian construction in that particular area.
The colony of Kiryat Arba’, the first and most extremist one in the whole of the West Bank was established in 1972. Kiryat Arba’ and its northern neighborhood, Kharsina, are the largest colonies in the governorate of Hebron with a total population of 7000 by the end of the year 2007 controlling an area of 4047 dunums as municipal area including 882 dunums built up area (source: Foundation for the Middle East Peace-Washington) .
Photo 18: The pool of Badwai ‘Arif ar Rajabi notified for demolition
The people of Al Baq’a are mainly dependent on agriculture as main income. In an interview with LRC field researcher, a farmer form Al Baq’a said: ‘ One day I met an Israeli army officer when I was tending my land and he said to me that his wish was to see the Al Baq’a green area a totally barren land’.
The ongoing war of agricultural damage of Al Baq’a area is in the center of the Israeli policy in Hebron district with the main goal of emptying the land of its owners as a prelude for future Israeli settlement. Amongst the continued war is the demolition of homes, confiscation of agricultural machinery, violent attacks by settlers, uprooting of trees and spraying crops and trees with incendiary substances.
Photo 19: Kharsina colony established on confiscated Palestinian land
Related case studies
1. Destruction of a pool and agricultural land in Al Buweira area, Hebron Governorate, June, 2009;
2. A New Wave of Stop Work Orders In Al Beqa’ Neighborhood East of the City of Hebron, March,2009;
3. The Colony of Kharsina Expands on the Expense of the City of Hebron, December,2008.
4. Geopolitical situation Hebron Governorate, May, 2006
5. The Apartheid Segregation Wall Plan In Hebron Governorate: Dispossession of Land and Resources, March-2004.
Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
