The Israeli colony of Halmish is subject to expansions in the west and south side as Israeli dozers leveled 80 dunums of Palestinian agricultural fields and a number of mobile homes have been added in the area. Expansions in Halmish serves as an example of all the expansions happening in various colonies around the West Bank, expansions that are funded and blessed by the Israeli Government.
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Picture 1-2: Halmish
It is worthy to mention that expansions in Israeli colonies have been happening in a number of colonies around the West Bank, especially Har Gilo (Jerusalem), Pizgat Zeev (Jerusalem), and Ariel (Salfit).
Halmish has been the launching point of a number of attacks held against the Palestinians and their properties in the villages of An Nabi Saleh, Deir Nizam, and Deir Ammar. In the past few days, colonists cut 24 olive trees and attacked a number of farmers in Deir Nizam.
The Israeli soldiers, in turn, find an excuse in the ‘protection’ of the colonists to add to the miseries of the Palestinians as they usually evacuate the lands and declare them closed military zones, inaccessible by the Palestinians. An Nabi Saleh western entrance which is adjacent to Halmish entrance has been closed since 2000.
The colony of Halmish:
In October 1977, the Israeli Cabinet agreed upon the establishment of Halmish colony over the ruins of a Jordanian military camp which was abandoned in 1967. A year later, the Israeli Occupation Authorities confiscated 600 dunums of Palestinian lands for that purpose in addition to hundred others that were captured over the years. Halmish area nowadays in 2510 dunums, inhabited by 1100 colonists.
The establishment of Halmish resulted in the loss of over 1000 dunums of agricultural lands which caused drastic damage to agriculture and the economy of An Nabi Saleh.
