Violation: leveling 12 dunums of land, uprooting a number of trees, and torching a number of parked cars.
Location: ‘Einabus and ‘Urif Villages – Nablus Governorate.
Date: March 14 and 15, 2010.
Violators: Yizhar Colonists.
Victims: farmers from ‘Urif besides some residents of Hebron City.
Details:
New types of Israeli colonists’ aggressions are presented every day in the West Bank.
The usual aggressions might include shooting, firing rockets, burning cars and houses, uprooting and cutting trees, burning mosques, etc sometimes they go beyond that by attacking medical and media staff and sometimes they prevent the residents from reaching their lands and close the way in front of their cars.
Yizhar colonists’ aggressions have increased during March of 2010 especially against the villages to the south of Nablus City. Most of these aggressions objective is to control more land.
On March 14, 2010, tens of Israeli colonists, wearing Jewish religious outfit and protected by tens of Israeli soldiers, showed up in ‘Urif and attacked some fields destroying 42 trees that belonged to Zahra ‘Allan (52).
The colonists shot some rounds in the air in order to spread fear among Palestinians before breaking into the field. However, the colonists had not succeeded in spreading fear among Palestinians who were ready to stand up in their face and protect their land. The colonists called for the help of the deployed Israeli soldiers to pull back safely. It must be known that the Israeli Army soldiers were in the area but did not intervene before sensing the insecurity of the colonists.
Zahra ‘Allan stated to an LRC observer:’ I own 12 dunums of land located 250 meters away from my house. This land is like one of my own children. I take constant care of it, I carry water on the head to water the trees which I planted 12 years ago. I planted it for the second time 12 years ago when the Israeli colonists burned all the trees.
However, even with my heart condition, I will always stand up in the face of the Israeli colonists who tend to make me leave my land so as to lay their hands on it. The most recent aggression is a living proof to the fact that the Israelis are trying to expand Yizhar at the Palestinian owners’ expense’.
Picture 1: olive trees uprooted by the Israelis
Torching parked vehicles in ‘Einabus:
At 3:00 am, on March 15, 2010, a group of Israeli colonists sneaked in ‘Einabus and set three vehicles into fire. The vehicles belonged to:
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‘Aqil Barakat (47), owner of a 1980 Subaru
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Mohammad ‘Aqil (41), owner of 1983 Subaru
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Yousuf al Butran (45), owner of a Volvo truck
It must be noted that the owners are people only working in the area, they came from Hebron looking for work and they were living in a leased house. A similar incident happened during December, 2010.
‘Aqil Barakat stated to an LRC Observor:’ I woke up at 3 am in the morning because I heard roaring, so I looked out the window to see my car on fire. I yelled at my friends and we all went down the street to see the horrific scene. The neighbors came down the street to help in putting down the fire. Thank God our cars did not fully burn. My friend Yousuf car was severely damaged and the neighborhood was lucky that an explosion did not happen since it was loaded with extremely flammable substances. I wonder what we did to deserve all this. The burned my car last year and I had to borrow 5000 to repair my car. I have not been able to pay the money back despite the fact that I work for extra hours a day to support my children whom I see once or twice a month‘.
Picture 2: one of the scorched vehicles
It must be known that Nablus countryside was one of the calmest places in the West Bank before planting the cancerous colony of Yizhar in the middle of it in 1982.
Picture 3+4: Nablus countryside
The colony devoured hundreds of dunums of Nablus countryside especially in ‘Asira al Qibliya. It must be mentioned that the Israeli colonists are used to attack all aspects of life in a desperate attempt to make the Palestinians leave.
The Israeli colonists’ aggressions have rapidly increased during the last six months and they used various types of attacks starting from throwing stones to firing rockets!
A month earlier, a group of colonists attacked ‘Asira al Qibliya and Burin villages leveling lands, uprooting trees, and breaking branches of tens of trees in the area. However, this will never affect the durability of the people who showed readiness and composure enough to stop the colonists.
‘Einabus:
It is considered one of the oldest villages in Palestine and is located 12 km to the south of Nablus City. It is surrounded by several other Palestinian villages including Burin, Madama, Yasuf and Hiwwara. The village is known for the number of mountains and hills that surround it, the most famous one are Salman the Persian Mountain and ‘Utared (Jupiter) Hill. The total area of the village is 4000 dunums including 260 dunums of built-up area.
The village population was 227 in 1922 which increased to reach 340. In 1967, 550 people lived in the village the number reached 1200 in 1987. The latest statistics show that the total population reached about 3000 people and it was recorded that 2000 people immigrated from the village.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
