Residents of the northern Jordan Valley in the West Bank are living in
state of fear and anxiety as Israeli forces overtake more land. The
Wall is being built on their land and more of the surroundings are
being confiscated.
Farid Abdul Rahim of the Land Defense Committee said that the peoples' suffering has been exacerbated as they depend on agriculture and are unable to reach it. Hundreds of thousands of the most fertile acres of farm land have been lost.
The Israeli Civil Administration, the occupation authority in the area, has targeted areas that are the only source of livelihood for many residents. Israeli forces recently took hundreds of acres from Mousa Jihazi who said that the Wall has usurped the “subsistence of our children.”
Reza Khalid said that there are now signs placed around his land indicating that he is no longer allowed to be there. “Army patrols are touring the region to force people to not enter the land. This is in preparation for a full takeover of our land because once we cannot reach it, they will say it is uninhabited.”
He continued, “This has been the main objective for years; stifling us and our patience and ability to preserve our energy to resist. Now they have decided to attack us and force us to leave our land and abandon our rights.”
In another northern Jordan Valley village the head of the local council said that the Israeli resolution is meant to seize and control the lands by putting thousands of dunams on the other side of the Wall. He also noted, “Dozens of houses are being destroyed by this.”
Israeli forces have imposed several additional checkpoints in the area and issued dozens of warnings to area farmers telling them to remove green houses as the Israeli forces are “establishing a military buffer zone” on hundreds of Palestinian agricultural land.
Residents report that in the last week the Israelis have brought in more surveyors and photographers in a prelude to implementing the destruction.
The Land Defense Committee issued a statement rejecting the Israeli confiscation and called on the international community to force Israel to abide international law and stop destroying Palestinian lands and livelihood.
