Settlers Burn More Olive Trees in Marda
Last Monday, August 9th, settlers burned 60 olive trees in the north side of Marda village, Salfit district. It’s not enough for the settlers that the farmers are not even able to collect there their olives, because of the different intimidation policies that Occupation Forces and settlers use against them to prevent them from reaching their lands, but they also blatantly destroy the people’s lands. Burning their trees and damaging their lands is yet another way to control Palestinian’s access to their lands and sources of living.
Marda is a small village in the middle part of Salfit and is famous for its ancient olive trees. The biggest settlement in the northern West Bank (Ariel) is also built on Marda’s lands and is threatened with further demolition for the Wall’s path.
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To see more photos of the destruction from the fire, please see our photo story on Marda.
Permits
This week, in Qalqiliya, Occupation soldiers forced two farmers to go back home because one of them brought his 7-year old grandson, who did not have a permit to access the isolated land, with him. Moreover, for the third time in Jayyus, Occupation soldiers tore down the farmers’ permits without giving any reasons.
Habla Gate
In Habla, south of Qalqiliya, confrontations began when Occupation soldiers forced farmers to return back home, not allowing them to reach their lands isolated by the Apartheid Wall. The lands are planted with citrus trees and there are several greenhouses in the area, all of which need tending and irrigation on a daily basis. Occupation Soldiers started humiliating the farmers and provoking them which led to confrontations, a usual scenario at most of the gates along the Wall’s path, and in particular, at Habla gate.
Kafr Jammal
A new military order was given to a farmer in Kafr Jammal, the owner of twenty dunums of land which is isolated behind the Wall. The land is located near Kochav Ya’ir settlement and is in front of the “house of Ehud Barrack”. the former Occupation’s prime minister. Occupation soldiers started uprooting citrus trees on one and a half dunums of the land, while declaring that they will clear the front of their minister’s house from all trees – all Palestinian trees.
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