- Violation: confiscating 650 dunums of endowment lands
- Location: Al-Auja area, east Jericho
- Date: March 10, 2016
- Perpetrators: Yitav colonists
- Victims: Palestine Ministry of Endowment "Waqf"
Details:
Land seizure and confiscation is a colonial policy to take lands over for colonial expansion in the areas of Palestinian Jordan Valley (Al-Ghoor). Colonists race time to take as much lands as possible over under the cover of Israeli Occupation Forces. This is to create a de facto that will be impossible to deal with in any future negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.
It should be marked that a group of Yitav colonists ravaged on March 10, 2016 a massive area from an agricultural land in the area of "Al-Masqara" and moved organic fertilizers to the area for the sake of cultivating it as a colonists' lands.
Photos 1-3: organic fertilizers added to confiscated Palestinian lands
It should be marked that the targeted area is administered by Palestine Ministry of Endowment. The plot (650 dunums) was leased for Al-Sultan Packaging Company. Noteworthy, the land is located within the natural blocks number 35 and 42; more specifically the plots number 1 from each block and that the ministry have ownership document on the lands.
The Director of Public Affairs at Palestine Ministry of Endowment Mr. Yasir Al-Jamal told Land Research Center the following:
" Colonists try so hard to take the area of AL-Masqara over. During the past couple of years witnessed several attempts of takeover despite that the area is considered borderline with Jordan. Noteworthy, the area is known for water abundance and the vast area of palm farms.
He also said:
" Ministry of Endowment in cooperation with Jericho governorate and the Palestinian Israeli Coordination Office in addition to the packaging company submitted a complaint to Israel's police about the colonists' attacks on the endowment lands. Colonists were held back but were never stopped from carrying out further attacks"
It should be marked that 61% of Al-Auja lands are categorized as endowment or "Waqf". The major part of those lands were leased for farmers to invest and start up business on so that the revenue up scale the area's economy and in order to protect the lands from colonial takeover plans.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
