- Violation: banning farmers from picking olives
- Location: Far'ata and Immatin villages- Qalqiliya
- Date: October 08, 2016
- Perpetrators: Gilad Zohar colonists
- Victims: farmers of the villages
Details:
The olive harvest season is ranked among the most important agricultural events in Palestine where one can see men, women and children collaborate to make the best of it. Colonists try to make the best of it but in a different way; they intensify their attacks on the holy tree by cutting down, burning and stealing olive trees as well as harassing farmers.
It should be marked that colonists of Gilad Zohar, which is founded on confiscated lands from Far'ata and Tal villages, east Qalqiliya banned on October 08, 2016 farmers from harvesting their olive trees in the area known as "Wad Surrah". Colonists harassed and chased farmers in their lands under the protection and assistance of Israeli Occupation Forces. The forces declared the target lands as "Closed military zones". As a result, 23 families were banned from picking their olives.
It is reported that the targeted area is only 200 meters away from Gilad Zohar outpost. Wad Surrah is of 140 dunums in area and is planted with aging olive trees. Since it is too close to the outpost, it witnessed too many attacks and violations carried out by the occupation forces and colonists of the area.
During the past five years, tens of colonial attacks and violations were reported to take place in the agricultural lands east of Qalqiliya. As a result, trees were cut down, torched and uprooted. Not only, farmed were chased and assaulted by the colonists of Gilad Zohar colonists.
Photos 1-2: the outpost of Gilad Zohar
About Gilad Zohar:
8 years ago, Israeli colonists, supported by the Israeli Occupation Army, seized huge areas to lay the foundations of the colony, later to be named Gilad Zohar.
Gilad has expanded rapidly over the years multiply in size; the attacks against Palestinians have become usual since its establishment; these attacks included physical abuse, theft, killing of cattle, destruction of tools and property, sabotage, attacks against residences, among others. The Palestinians filed numerous complaints against the colonists attacks but none were heard. The attacks carried out by the ‘sons of Zohar’, who were the founders of the colony, are organized and systematic; the group organizes bringing large number of colonists every Saturday to participate in the attacks.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
