Colonists uproot about 340 seedlings in Tawameen area- east Yatta/  Hebron Governorate

• Violation: uprooting and destroying seedlings.
• Date: 22/08/2020.
• Location: Tawameen – Yatta town / Hebron governorate.
• Perpetrators: illegal colonists of Susiya.
• Victims: family of Citizen Barakat Mur.

Description:

Barakat Mur (57) told LRC:

Illegal colonists attached my grove , and uprooted and/or cut about 340 olive , grapes , and  fig saplings , in At-Tawameen area southeast Yatta

Mur asserted:

“My brothers and I own a plot in At-Tawameen, with a total area of 20 dunums. In 2016 we got the land reclaimed and prepared for cultivation, and we planted it with olive, grape, fig and some almond seedlings. We also surrounded the plot with a fence for protection.

The Plot is never empty, we are always there, and we set up a tent to rest in it during working days. But we never felt safe at the land, because Sosiya illegal colony is built on confiscated lands 1 Km to the west, and the illegal colony Mitzpe Yaer is to the east, which made us exposed to colonists’ violence.

 On Wednesday Aug 19^th, we left the land to our Yatta house, and could only return in Aug 22^nd as it was my son’s wedding at the town, and the whole family was there. When I got back to the plot on Saturday, a violent attack had occurred and included uprooted seedlings, sabotaged water networks, and destroyed a tent.”

Photos 1-5 : Attack on Mur’s plot

According to Mur, 304 olive, 25 grapes and 10 figs seedlings were sabotaged.

An activist at the area filed a complaint to illegal colony “Kiryat Arba’a” police station , they showed up at the location and documented the assault.

Land Research Center documented attacks that targeted Mur’s plot:

• 1- Mar 29^th 2020: settlers uprooted the doors of two cisterns belong to Mur and used for agricultural purposes.
• 2- June 4^th 2020: colonists looted hay pales stored in a cave in the Tawameen area.
• 3- June 23^rd 2020: The occupation authorities represented by the “Civil” Administration and the forces” confiscated building materials that belong to Mur.

“Splinting” Olive trees:

As we pay a visit to Barakat Mur’s plot to document the violation , he told us in tears and agony about his loss , and how much time , money , and physical effort he lost to repair this plot , He even asked his children to bury him at this plot when he dies.

Mur tried to splint what can possible be repaired from his trees , and irrigate them , hoping to bring them back to life after being sabotaged.

Photo 6