Fanatic Colonizers Burn a Farm in Tobas

Violation: Setting fire to a Farmer that contains an agricultural room, greenhouse, and a toolhouse.

Date: Beginning of July, 2013

Perpetrators: Fanatic colonizers

Victims: A farmer named Fawwaz Sawafta

Details:

At the beginning of July 20113, a new wave of attacks was carried out in order to make people leave their lands. Fanatic colonists set fire to a farm that is located near Beesan checkpoint. The fire damaged the whole farm which is owned by Fawwaz Sawafta, a farmer from Bardala village.

The farm was under attack before when it got destroyed three times by the Israeli occupation forces and Subcommittee for Inspection of the Israeli Civil Administration. The burnt farm consists of a greenhouse that is 80m, and an agricultural room the size of 34m. The farm is irreversibly burnt and is 150m away from Beesan checkpoint.

Ahmad Sawafta told an LRC observer that," During the last three years, the farm was a demolition target for the Israeli occupation. Though I have all the legal documents that prove my ownership of the land and even before 1967, I’m still under pressure to leave it." He also adds that," The farm is my sole source of income to provide for my 9-member family . That is after the Israeli occupation confiscated our 20-donum land for colonial expansion of "Makhola" colony.

Scenes of the damage of Sawafta’s farm

Bardala, a military closed area:

The suffering of people in the Palestinian ghors (near the Jordanian valley) is but part of their everyday lives! Bardala- 23km away from Tobas-for example, is considered a military closed area where most of its land is used for shooting and other military exercises. The reason behind using it is its wild and montane nature that is very much like the mountains in Jordan. Exercising there has added to the suffering of the people since it can be dangerous whether by live military exercises or their remnants like landmines. The Israeli besiege of the village prevented its people from daily services. And since most of the land is considered military areas, people are not allowed to enter it. People have become isolate.