Violation: uprooting 280 saplings
Location: Ras Attyeh village-Qalqiliya
Date: 01/07/2015
Perpetrators: Israeli occupation army
Victims: farmer Maher Mara’beh
Details:
A massive force from the Israeli occupation army accompanied by a military dozer and a truck on July 01, 2015 raided the area of Ras Attyeh village that is relative to Qalqiliya governorate. The attack targeted a 4.5 dunum plot with the uprooting of 280 fruitful saplings, of which 260 were guava and 20 Annona seedlings; soldiers loaded the uprooted trees into the truck and moved them to the nearby colony of Alfei Menashe.
The Israeli occupation justified this operation under the claim that those lands are classified as “state property”. Ironically, the land’s owner was served an “evacuation” order on the land in 2014 compelling him to restore the previous status of the plot.
From another side, the attacking force confiscated 200m of irrigation pipes that were used in the targeted area.
It should be marked that attacked trees belong to farmer Maher Mara’bah(56) from the village of Ras Attyeh ; the farmer supports a 7 member family including 4 children.
Farmer Maher told a researcher from Land Research Center that he inherited the land from his grand fathers and that he plants it with different field crops and wheat; Maher also said that he posses the land’s ownership document. Despite all that, the occupation considers the land as a “state property” without any legal justification. Noteworthy, the land is only 2km away from Alfei Menashe colony.
Photos 1-4: the attacked plot
Frequent thefts:
Most of the attacks carried out against trees in the areas of Ras Attyeh , Al-Basalan and Khallet Al-Ashir are justified under the claim of the trees being located in lands classified as “State property” by the Israeli government. Reports showed that many farmers were assaulted and trees damaged as a result.
About Ras Attyeh:
It is located 12km to the south of Qalqiliya city; the village totals 2083 dunums in area, of which 1000 dunums were confiscated for the favor of expanding Alfei Menashe colony.
The village has a total population of 1890 people, who hail from the nearby village of Kfar Thulth. Ras Attyeh accommodates three main families namely (Mra’yah, Shawahna, and Ghraba). Residents of the area depend on farming and agriculture as a source of income and living.
Prepared by
The Land Research Center
LRC
