Violation: damaging trees using toxic chemicals.
Date: May 25, 2013.
Location: Burin – Nablus.
Perpetrators: colonists of Yizhar.
Preface:
Recently, attacks against Burin village have rapidly increased; most of these attacks started from the nearby Yizhar colony. Olive trees are the most targeted due to its symbolic value for the Palestinians. Since the beginning of the year, 12 attacks have been carried out against Palestinian olives by colonists and soldiers of the Israeli Occupation Army. According to preliminary data by LRC, 276 olive trees have been damaged till the date of the report.
Details:
On May 25, 2013, a group of Israeli colonists coming from Yizhar broke into "Al Halouf" nearby Givat Benjamin outpost in Burin. The colonists sprayed toxic chemicals on olive trees in the area killing tens of trees. 43 trees were destroyed; the trees were property of Barakat Ghaleb (23 trees) and Tayseer al Najjar (20 trees).
Picture 1: murdered trees
Picture 2: one of the houses in Givat Benjamin
Creative destruction:
Ali Eid, a member of Burin Village Council, commented: "olive trees in the southern countryside of Nablus has been targeted a lot in recent years as 100 of attacks were committed by the most brutal colonists in the West Bank; those colonists who feed on their racist mentality and the radical religious views they have". "Burin has been targeted by colonization since the Israeli Occupation in 1967; it is located between the colonies of Yizhar and the amended outpost of Givat Benjamin and the colony of Baracha. Colonists commit daily crimes against the Palestinians and that includes the destruction of olive trees by the most brutal manner including using toxins".
Al Halouf area is located 700 meters away from Givat Benjamin while the area is inaccessible by the Palestinians due to the Israeli measures.
