Violation: damaging more than 150 trees in Qusra.
Location: Qita Kamel in the east part of the village.
Perpetrators: Yish Kudish colonists.
Victims: four families of Qusra.
Date: October 6, 2011.
Details:
Along the beginning of the olive picking season, Israeli colonists aggressions increased rapidly; the Israelis tend to ruin the long awaited season before it begins. Every olive picking season, Israeli colonists, Army, and other official bodies impose strict rules on the Palestinians and commit certain aggressions with new aggression introduced every year.
In the early morning hours of October 6, 2011, a big group of Yish Kudish colonists stormed Qita Kamel area, 500 meters away from the village, under the protection of the Israeli Army. The Israeli soldiers secured the area and allowed the colonists to commit their crime; the colonists ravaged 150 olive, fig, and prune trees.
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Picture 1-7: attack on the trees
A similar attack took place less than a week earlier when Israeli colonists cut 250 olive trees and a number of seedlings in Al Lahf area. Abed abu Rida, Qusra Village Council Head, stated to an LRC observer:’the Israeli Occupation Army conspires with the colonists. Israeli soldiers were intensively deployed in the area before the arrival of two buses loaded with colonists. The soldiers were deployed to provide protection for the colonists who spread chaos all around the area. We were shocked to hear that the Israeli Army has arrested 9 suspects which is completely untrue since the Army and the Police aided the colonists in their attack. They were trying to cover up. They try to make excuses all the time, they claim that Israel is a country ran by law; however, facts on the ground show that it is a country of colonial extremists.’
Table 1: summary of damages:
|
Victim
|
Family members
|
damage
|
Trees age (year)
|
||
|
Olive
|
Prunes
|
fig
|
|||
|
Ghassan Hasan
|
7
|
49
|
—
|
14
|
7
|
|
Rizq abu Rida
|
5
|
17
|
5
|
3
|
14
|
|
Fath Allah abu Rida
|
9
|
40
|
—
|
—
|
14
|
|
Abdul Majid Hasan
|
5
|
17
|
—
|
—
|
12
|
|
Total
|
26
|
123
|
5
|
17
|
|
*source: field investigation – Monitoring Israeli Human Rights Violation Unit – LRC
Qusra:
It is located 18 km to the south east of Nablus city and is administered by Qusra village Council. Its total area is 9878 dunums that include 776 dunums of built up area. However, this area does not cover the expansion requirements of the village which forced a lot of the locals to build their houses in areas classified ‘C’ according to Oslo. Qusra is inhabited by 4377 people according to the PBS statistics of 2007.
It must be pointed that in 1982, Qusra and the nearby Jurish villages faced a large scale land confiscation campaign in preparation for the establishment of Majdulim colony which now covers an area of 170.6 dunums inhabited by 152 colonists. On the other hand, Qusra is suffering from the increase in demolition orders issued against structures in the village. More than 15 structures are facing real demolition threats.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
