Photo by Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Activestills (via RHR)Over 450 trees damaged in one week; Defense Minister urgently requested to provide effective protection for farmers and their property.
Today (14 October 2012), four human rights organizations – Rabbis for Human Rights – Israel, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), Yesh Din and B’Tselem – sent a letter to the Minister of Defense, the Attorney General, and military and police commanders in the West Bank, demanding they take action to protect Palestinian residents and property during the current olive harvest, in accordance with the principles established by the Israeli High Court of Justice.
Israeli military and security forces currently focus on securing harvests at prearranged times and places. The disruptions and attacks, however, are taking place at other times, and in other areas. Past experience shows that the military and police can act to prevent these incidents, because most of the events occur in areas close to settlements known by the authorities as extremist. In 2008, for example, the Border Police’s Samaria Brigade was stationed in a ring around the Gil’ad Ranch during the olive harvest, and incidents of violence in the area were prevented that year.
The past week was unusual in terms of the extent of the theft and destruction of Palestinian olive groves, especially those near settlements and outposts known as trouble spots. According to early estimations, over 450 Palestinian trees have been damaged this week.
In their letter, the rights organizations mention the following specific incidents:
- October 7 – ancient olive trees in Al-Janya were damaged on the plot belonging to the Abu Faheida family, 500 meters south of a new settler outpost. The family members learned of the damage when they came to harvest the trees on their land.
- October 7 – farmers from the village of Bitillu who came to harvest their trees, were attacked with stones by approximately ten masked settlers who came from the direction of the outpost just beyond the gate of the settlement of Nachliel. Violence broke out and the settlers allegedly set fire to part of the olive grove. Soldiers who reached the spot had difficulty controlling the settlers and banished the Palestinian harvesters from the area by shooting in the air.
- October 9 – farmers from the villages of Farata and Amatin came to harvest on their lands south and west of the Gil’ad Ranch outpost. When they reached their land, the farmers discovered that their trees had already been harvested and their crops stolen. All in all 220 trees were pillaged. This incident follows other violent incidents in the same grove just days before.
- October 9 – Residents of the village of Karyut discovered that 80 trees on land owned by ten different families from the village were severely damaged. The land is located southwest of the village, some two kilometers from the settlement of Eli.
- October 10 – residents of Al-Moghier discovered that 140 olive trees were damaged on their lands and most were axed through to the trunk. The lands are located some 100 meters from the Adei Adim outpost.
