A number of Palestinian farmers from Qalqilia whose land is now behind the Israeli Wall north of Qalqilia gave testimony that Israeli forces are preventing them from reaching their lands, claiming their Red identity cards cards are old.
The farmers noted Wednesday, “The guards at the gates requested that we exchange our normal Red Identity cards, which were issued by the Civil Administration, with Green ID cards, which are issued by the offices of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior after approval by the Israeli authorities.”
The farmers spoke sarcastically to PNN, “It appears that the Israeli army has been affected by the results of the Palestinian Legislative Council elections and the victory of Hamas whose party color is green.”
Farmer Ahmed Zaid clarified by saying, “Every day the occupation soldiers make new demands on us. Sometimes we are asked to show the numbers of our vehicles, which are licensed. And at other times they prevent children from accompanying us on the basis that they don’t have ‘permission.’ They sometimes prevent trucks from entering the area, saying that the permits do not allow for minor details on the vehicles, such as extra mirrors or hubcaps, anything small, even mud flaps with pictures.”
Zaid added, “The suffering that we undergo on a daily basis is subject to the moods of the soldiers who impose conditions on us as they wish.”
It is notable that dozens of farmers are prevented from entering their agricultural lands now behind the Israeli Wall in the Al Kari region. The Israelis justify the latest restrictions by saying that some farmers names do not appear on their lists. This in turn means that they cannot be issued permits from the Israeli Civil Administration. Therefore Palestinians are unable to reach their farmlands which are slowly dying for lack of care.
