- Violation: ravaging agricultural lands
- Location: Dhaher Soboh
- Date: February 28, 2018
- Perpetrators: fanatic colonists
- Victims: farmers from the area
The importance of Dhaher Soboh for the governorate of Salfit:
The 300 dunum Dhaher Soboh is a very strategic area for Salfit. Not only it has a central location but it also has a very fertile soil for olive plantation. The area is famous for ancient Roman olive trees and the abundance of water springs; Dhaher Soboh is considered one of the historic sites of Palestine and an icon of the land’s Arabism.
The area of Dhaher Soboh is also considered a source of livelihood for many people who take farming as their main job at time colonial expansion is increasing notably.
It should be marked that the Israeli occupation escalated ravaging lands and demolishing structures owned by residents of the village.
Despite all that, the Palestinian farmer insists on not leaving his\her land to protect it from colonial expansion plans and preserve their history.
Details:
A group of colonists, under the protection of Israeli Occupation Forces, ravaged on February 28, 2018 some 155 dunums from the area of Dhaher Soboh in a step to transform it into an agricultural outpost. Israeli Occupation Authorities claimed the attacked lands as "State Lands" despite that Palestinian farmers rehabilitated some 12 dunums from the area and planted with olive seedlings through Palestine Ministry of Agriculture and "Greening Palestine" project that is funded by the FAO. Reportedly, colonists uprooted around 310 seedlings that belong to farmer Ali Al-Sheikh Ali from Kfar Ad-Dik town, west Salfit governorate. The following table shows information about the affected lands and owners:
|
Affected citizen |
Location |
Affected area\dunum |
Nature of land |
|
Ali Al-Sheikh Ali |
Kfar Ad-Dik |
12 |
Planted with 310 olive seedlings |
|
Fawwaz Al-Aqraa' |
Biddya |
11 |
Unused due to the occupation |
|
Fawwaz Al-Aqraa' |
Biddya |
17 |
|
|
Ahmad Al-Aqraa' |
Biddya |
9 |
|
|
Badran Ba'deen |
Biddya |
16 |
|
|
Zahran Ba'deen |
Biddya |
8 |
|
|
Suliman Bad'een |
Biddya |
4 |
|
|
Raed Abu Seif |
Biddya |
9 |
|
|
Yousef Abu Seif |
Biddya |
6 |
|
|
Loay Abu Seif |
Biddya |
11 |
|
|
Ma'zouz Aqil |
Biddya |
17 |
|
|
Azzam Aqil |
Biddya |
6 |
|
|
Nihad Barakat |
Biddya |
14 |
|
|
Ghazai Rida |
Biddya |
6 |
|
|
Yousef Rida |
Biddya |
9 |
|
|
Total |
155 |
|
|
Photos 1-3: the dozers at time of ravaging the lands
The responsible of colonization and wall file in Salfit governorate, Jamal Jamad, told Land Research Center the following: " The commander of the occupation army in the West Bank issued in 1985 a seizure order on 1200 dunums from the lands of Dhaher Soboh area. Farmers were banned to access and use their lands. The targeted lands used to be planted with grains and wheat in addition to olive trees. In 2014, some farmers managed to reclaim their lands after a long battle in Israeli courts. The grab remained on 452 dunums out of the total. Israel Civil Administration fenced those lands and surrounded them by the apartheid wall"
Manger of Agricultural Relief, Baker Hammad, told Land Research Center the following: "The Agricultural Relief implemented land reclamation projects for massive areas, dug water wells and opened agricultural roads in Dhaher Soboh between 2010-2013 but the occupation demolished most of them on claim of unlicensed construction within area classified C according to Oslo Accords".
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
