Israeli Settlers Uprooted 350 Small Olive Trees

Violation: The uprooting of 350 small olive trees planted on Qasra lands.

Perpetrators: Colonists from thecolonial outpost of Yash Adam associated with the colony of Shilo.

Date: March 2^nd, 2011.

 

 

In less than one month, the area of Baslata (located east the village of Qasra) faced two colonitsts’ attacks on olive trees planted by Qasra Palestinians. The attacks were carried out by the colonists of the outpost of Yash Adam which is associated with the nearby colony of Shilo; on February 20^th a group of colonists from the said outpost uprooted about 200 small olive trees and damaged an additional 70 older trees in the said area. The damaged and uprooted trees belonged to a number of farmers from the villages of Doma and Qasra. The second attack took place on the 2^nd of March, 2011, as colonists belonging to the said outpost cut and uprooted 350 olive trees the age of which is less than 1 year old. The colonists’’ attack did not stop here as they have stolen the uprooted trees. These trees were donated by the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture and the Qasra Village Council in an attempt to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian farmers facing an aggressive colonial campaign against Qasra, its lands and its residents.

 

 

 

The uprooted trees belonged to Deiba Abdullah Hasan, Abdel Majid Tawfeiq Abdel Majeed Hasan, Mahmoud Abdel Fattah Hasan, Abdel Mun’eim Darweish Hasan, Majdi Abdel Hameed Hasan from the village of Qasra. It has to be stated that the village of Qasra has been witnessing an intense and organized campaign by the colonists from the nearby outposts and colonies that overlooks the village’s eastern ridges. A number of attacks against the village have been carried out as farmers were targeted while in their fields as to force them out of their lands and to use the lands for further colonial expansion.

 

Mr. Abdullah Abu Reida, a member of Qasra’s village council, expressed the following to the Land Research center (LRC)’s field researcher:  The village of Qasra, like other villages and towns nearby, are targeted by the Israeli occupation; the areas of Baslata and Ras Al Ein which are located east of the village are mainly targeted despite the fact that they are a private Palestinian properties that have been worked on for ages. Yet, despite this fact, the colonists have made it a habit to attack the two locations and to destroy its crops under the watchful eyes of the occupation forces. The colonists establish outposts here and there with no intervention against that from the occupation forces as to create more facts on the ground and to force us to leave our lands and fields.

 

The village is located 18 kilometers south east of the City of Nablus. Its build-up area is about 776 dunums, which does not withstand the ever-growing needs of its population. As such, the population found themselves obligated to build in Area C. The original area of the village is 9,878 dunums surrounded by the villages of Majdal Bani Fadel, Jalud and Talfiet.

As of 2007, the population of Qasra was 4,377. It is worth pointing out that in the year 1982 the villages of Qasra and Jureish have witnessed a land confiscation campaign by the Israeli occupation forces for the purpose of establishing the colony of Majdoulim.

The colony has expanded ever since rapidly especially in Parcel 1 (locations of Al Ruzza and Al Fatr). Currently, the colony controls 170.6 dunums in which 152 colonists live.

 

On another front, the village of Qasra is suffering from another campaign targeting its residents; a wave of Stop Work and Demolition orders issued by the occupation forces against houses, shelters and agricultural structures in the village. At least 15 such orders were issued against structures in the village including its street which affects the daily lives of the residents of the village.

For more information regarding the violations carried out by the colonists against the village of Qasra during the year 2011, please follow this link.