Violation: destroying 38 olive trees
Location: Jamma’in- Nablus
Date: 21/06/2015
Perpetrators: Tapuah colonists
Victims: farmer Mahmoud Ali
Details:
A group of fanatic colonists from the outpost “Tapuah West”, which was established in 2011 on confiscated lands from the villages of Yasuf and Jamma’in, sneaked into the area of Wad Abu Shanji that is adjacent to the outpost and carried out an attack on olive trees. It should be marked that the colonists sabotaged 38 olive trees aging 30 years each using sharp tools and saws. Branches were cut down where other parts of the trees got badly harmed.
The attacked trees belong to farmer Mahmoud Ali (55) from the Jamma’in town; farming and sheep husbandry are the farmer’s only source of income to support his 9 member family.
The farmer told a researcher from Land Research Center the following:
“Since five years, we have been suffering the threat of colonists taking over our lands in the area; the last attack on olives was not first of a kind. Every olive season, colonists intensify their attacks on trees and farmers in order to keep them away from their lands. A year ago, around 68 trees were cut down and damaged in the same location; the trees belong to farmers from Yasuf”
Photos 1-2: the outpost of Tapuah West
About Tapuah West:
The outpost started through confiscating 5 dunums from the lands of Yasuf village in the area known as At-Tin Ash-Shami by 2011. Colonists then took over more area of land through opening a road that links the mother colony with the new outpost, which was later provided with water and electricity.
Ever since, the outpost has been expanding by confiscating new lands; more than 35 dunums were taken so far for the favor of the colony’s expansion. It should be marked that this outpost is only inhabited by one family, which depends on farming and sheep husbandry as a source of income; the family is protected by a military watchpost that was set up in the area for that very end.
Noteworthy, the very presence of the illegal outpost of Tapuah West has been forming a threat and a risk on farmers and lands due to colonists attacks.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
