Violation: Torching olive trees.
Location: Az Zawiya / Salfit governorate.
Date: June – 16-2018.
Perpetrators: The Israeli occupation forces.
Victims: Farmer Ahmad Al-Ashqar.
Description:
Saturday evening, The Israeli occupation forces fired sonic and light bombs towards Palestinian olive fields which burst fire in dry grass, the situation escalated and the fire ate 7 dunums consist of 22 olive trees.
The Palestinian civil defense and villagers from the town reached the location and killed the fire.
The torched trees belong to farmer Ahmad Al-Ashqar from Az-Zawiya.
Naem Shqair head of Az Zawiya municipality told LRC observer “This is only one of the fires the Israeli troops create every year attempting to evict the land from Palestinian farmers.”
Shqair asserted that there is an Israeli scheme since 2002 aims to take over 1500 dunums in the western areas of Az-Zawiya. After the Israeli occupation authorities failed to implant the scheme, a number of military orders were issued to restrict Palestinian farmers’ movement in the area, like announcing areas of agriculture lands as “closed military zones” or “Israeli state’s properties”.
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About Az Zawiya:[1]
Located 17 kilometer west of Salfit and adjacent to the Green Line, Az Zawiya has a population of 4754 people according to statistics conducted in 2007. 81% of the population depend on agriculture and sheep grazing while the rest work in governmental jobs or private sector projects. Az Zawiya has a total area of 12,000 dunums, 693 of which are a built-up area of the town. Most agricultural lands in Az Zawiya are planted with olive, figs, and cactus.The Israeli occupation confiscated 1747 dunums of Az Zawiya lands for colonies and the Apartheid Wall as the following:
- Two colonies are built on Az Zawiya lands. The first is Mazor Atiqa which was built in 1986 and confiscated 573 dunums. The other is Elkana which was built in 1977 and confiscated 57 dunums. Elkana is inhabited by 3050 colonists.
- Bypass road number 5 and it devoured 520 dunums of Az Zawiya lands
- The Apartheid Wall which destroyed 579 and isolated 4228 dunums
[1] GIS-LRC
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
