Violation: colonists uproot 30 olive and 20 grape trees.
Location: Al Khader – Bethlehem.
Date: October 16, 2012.
Perpetrators: colonists of Afrat.
Victim: Rizq Sbeih.
Details:
On October 16, 2012, a group of Israeli colonists broke into Rizq Sbeih 4-dunum-field in al Khader before uprooting 30 olive trees and 20 grapes. The owner, father of 3, visits to his land has become limited due to the number of aggressions he was subject to as his field is located nearby the colony of Afrat. Despite the restrictions imposed on him, he tries hardly to maintain his land and protect it. He said: ‘do I need a permit to go into my lands? This is my land and I go whenever I feel like it so they can go to hell and I will protect the land‘.
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Picture 1: targeted plot
Al Khader:
Al Khader is located 5 km to the west of Bethlehem city; it is connected by a road to the main road, Jerusalem – Hebron road which connects it to the surrounding cities.
It is administered by a local council and is named after Saint George (Al Khader in Arabic). The village holds within a football stadium, a donation of the Portuguese Government; the work in the stadium started in 2000 through Bethlehem 2000 project, however, the construction stopped for a long time because of the second Intifada (uprising) events considering the location of the stadium near by-pass road (60). It was opened in 2007.
Area and Location:
Al Khader is 20100 dunums in area including 800 dunums of built-up area. The Israelis conquered 218 dunums of the village in 1948 and are trying to capture the rest of Al Khader fertile lands using the segregation wall. The Israeli authorities confiscated huge parts of Al Khader lands to construct Ezyon colony in 1967(4500 dunums in area inhabited by 461 colonists) and Daniel in 1983 (200 dunums in area).
