Prohibiting Palestinian Farmers from Plowing their Lands

Violation: Gedonim colonists prevent Palestinian farmers from plowing their lands.
Location: Yanun – Nablus.
Date: April 8, 2012.

Preface:
Yanun village and its residents suffer from continuous Israeli threats, especially from the armed colonists groups who roam the area harassing farmers and stealing their crops. These acts are considered part of an Israeli long term plan that intends to clear the Palestinian lands from their original owners. These actions and many others are considered a living example on the brutality and viciousness of the Israeli Zionist colonist occupation which is based on the idea of cleansing the land of its original population and replacing them with colonists. The colonization nucleuses that follow ‘Etmar’ colony are devouring the village lands and now the village is surrounded from four sides (Gedonim from north and east, Giv’at ‘Alam from west.

Details:
On April 8, 2012, a group of Gedonim colonists (Gedonim is built over Yanun lands and was established in 1997) prevented Palestinians from plowing their lands. The armed colonists threatened the Palestinians to kill them and forced them to leave.

Meanwhile, the Israeli soldiers provided the colonists with protection and helped them in their efforts to make the farmers leave despite the fact that the farmers had acquired special permits from the Israeli Occupation Civil Administration allowing them to access their lands on that day. At the same time, colonists leveled lands in the surrounding mountains; which seems to be a step towards taking control over these lands.

Picture 1: evicted fields

Picture 2: the surrounding mountain area

The fertile plain fields of Yanun made it a target for the Israeli Occupation since the occupation of the West Bank in 1967. The Occupation Authorities intended to take over most of the area in order to build Etmar colony in 1983. In 1997, the Occupation Authorities confiscated huge areas of the village for the sake of the establishment of Gadonim in the north eastern part of the village. Gadonim witnessed huge developments during the first Intifada as it became 5 times its size. In 2000, colonists took over the western part of Yanun and built Givat ‘Alam colony, which is named after one of the rabbis in the area. This way, the occupation took over most of the village lands and only 2000 dunums (of which 60 % is grazing area) has remained till now and no one knows when the aggression will start over again.

Yanun:

Yanun is 15 km to the east of Nablus city. There isn’t any road network that connects the village to the city except the old road which was renovated only lately. The street leads to ‘Aqraba village. The village borders extend to reach ‘Aqraba, Beit Furik, and ‘Awarta villages. To the east there is Makhola colony and by-pass Road 90. The total area of the village is 16,000 dunums including 1,668 dunums built up area. According to Palestinian official sources, there are 102 people living in the village, most of them belong to Bani Jaber and Marar clans. Some of the residents are refugees originally from the occupied village of ‘Ajur which was occupied and destroyed back in 1948. Etmar colony has been expanding on the village lands as it took over more than 503 dunums from the village till now.