Violation: placing caravans on Palestinian lands with a total area of around 266 dunums.
Location: Jalud – Nablus Governorate.
Date: February 4, 2010.
Violators: ‘Adi ‘Ad colonial nucleus colonists which is partof Shivut colony.
Victims: Jalud Farmers.
Details:
As part of land confiscation policy which has been the major policy of the ‘State of Israel’ since its establishment. A policy executed in cooperation with the Jewish colonists residing illegally in different parts of the west bank. A policy that intends to expropriate Palestinian lands in order to use it for colonial expansion and for providing the colonists with different types of services including by-pass roads that tore the Palestinian lands apart.
‘Adi ‘Ad colonial nucleus, (established as part of Shivut Rahel colony in 1997. it was built on Jalud village lands) placed a number of caravans in an area called ‘Al Khilla al Wista’ located in parcel 20 in Jalud. The intention is to take control of the 266 dunums land in order to annex it to Shivut Rahel colony.
It must be mentioned that the said area is fertile and suitable for planting. The Palestinians used to plant it with olive trees before being banned of reaching their lands following the second Intifada and for ‘security’ reasons.
The most recent colonial nucleus is part of three nucleuses established in the area since the beginning of the second Intifada.The colonial nucleuses are considered part of ‘Adi ‘Ad colonial nucleus which controls more than 4000 dunums of Palestinian lands now.
During the second Intifada, the Israeli Occupation forces forced a security cordon on the hills that surround the Israeli colonies. It is believed that this was done in compliance with former prime minister Ariel Sharon calls for dominating the hills in the west bank. Such calls and the security cordon imposed on the West Bank formed the perfect environment for the different colonial activities.
Occupying Palestinian lands was not enough for the colonists; their aggressions went much further than that.
The aggressions included:
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Shooting on Palestinians who try to get to their lands.
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Plowing and torching more than 1500 dunums which were planted with wheat and yeast.
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Uprooting and destruction of more than 1000 olive trees.
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Preventing Palestinians from harvesting more than 4000 olive trees in the area.
Since the beginning of the second Intifada, the Israeli Occupation Authorities prevent Palestinians from reaching their lands in the areas surrounding ‘Adi ‘Ad colonial nucleus. Palestinian farmers tried to obtain permits to be allowed to exploit there lands but it was useless.
Seizure of mountain tops, a step towards seizure of plain fields:
The colonial nucleuses around Jalud are placed in parcels (14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24). These lands are mountains and plains. The Israeli Occupation colonial plan was to take over mountain tops in order to make plains seizure a much easier task. 100 families from Hebron and Jenin used to depend on farming in these areas.
It must be mentioned that ‘Adi ‘Ad colonial nucleus is considered the major obstacle of agricultural development in the area where most of the people depend on agriculture on living especially when the villagers are deprived from all the basic needs of life.
‘Adi ‘Ad colonial nucleus had taken over more than 80% of the total area of Jalud, and area called ‘Al Ro’os al Tiwal (tall heads)’ which extends from the village boundaries to ‘Alon road’. Huge areas were confiscated in the aforementioned area.
Mr. Abdullah Mohammad, president of Jalud Village Council, stated to an LRC observer: ‘We are deprived from the right of exploiting our own agricultural lands, 80% of the agricultural area was confiscated and we are not allowed to get into it even in the olive picking season’ He said.
‘Three months earlier, we posted a complaint to the Israeli Supreme Court against the illegal seizure of our lands by ‘Adi ‘Ad colonial nucleus colonists. The colonists claimed that they planted the olive trees, knowing that these trees are more than 80 years old. Older than the ‘state of Israel’!!! Moreover, the Israeli Occupation never hesitates to harass the villagers by occupying their houses, taking pictures of the houses in the village, etc. In addition, the soldiers attacked the only mosque in the village, Ibrahim al Khalil Mosque, which they claim to be a religious symbol’.
Land expropriating for the purpose of colonial expansion:
It must be mentioned that 3 colonies beside an Israeli Army training ground are placed around Jalud.
|
No.
|
Name
|
Establishment date
|
Built-up area
|
Picture
|
|
1
|
Shilo
|
1978
|
1347
|
  |
|
2
|
Shifut Rahel and surrounding nucleuses
|
1992
|
1287
|
|
|
3
|
Israeli Army Training Ground
|
1975
|
36
|
|
|
4
|
colonial nucleus
|
2001
|
|
|
Jalud, an Overview:
It is located 25 km to the south of Nablus city. An 8 km road connects the village with the main road. The total area of the village is 16517 dunums including 80.5 dunums of built-up area. The Israeli Occupation Authorities confiscated 1207 dunums of the village lands for the sake of the surrounding colonies. The total population of the village was 464 people in 2007.
Picture 7+8: an overview of Jalud
Jalud is surrounded by a number of Palestinian villages, Talfit to the north, Qusra to the east, Qaryut to the west, Turmus’ayya to the south and west.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
The Land Research Center
LRC
