Land Research Center

• Violation: Notice to stop work in a water pool.

• Location: Marj Na'ja village / Jericho Governorate.

• Date of violation: 02/02/2022.

The perpetrator: the so-called Israeli Civil Administration.

The affected party: The farmers Nasr Mahmoud Zbeidat and Yasser Mahmoud Zbeidat.

•The violation details:

 The Israeli occupation continues to target the agricultural sector in the Palestinian Jordan Valley, as agriculture is the main pillar in supporting the presence and resilience of the Palestinian families in this area.

On Wednesday morning, 2/2/2022, the so-called construction inspector of the Israeli Civil Administration stormed the eastern lands of the village of Marj Na’ja adjacent to the border fence with Jordan, where a water pool with a capacity of 500 cubic meters was targeted by a stop- work military notice bearing the number of 32597 on the prestext of non-licensing.

Notice No. 32597 targeting the aforementioned water pool

According to what was stated in the military notice, the occupation set 2/23/2022 as the date for holding a session by the “Construction and Organization Committee” at its headquarters at the Beit El settlement to discuss what it called “the demolition of the building or the restoration of the place to its previous state".

It is noteworthy that the water pond is located within the natural basin No. 24126, plot No. 7 of the lands of the village of Marj Na'ja, and is owned by farmers Nasr and Yasser Mahmoud Al-Zubaidat, noting that the pond has existed for more than 22 years, and the plastic layer has been renewed. The target pond serves more than 15 dunums of greenhouses whose agricultural production is the main income for nine families totaling 70 people.

 Speaking to LRC's field researcher farmer, Nasr Zbeidat, said the follwoing:

“About two years ago, the occupation authorities destroyed a water pond that owned in the village of Al-Jiftlik, despite our continuous attempts to get it licensed  through a Palestinian human rights institution. The destruction of that plool was a big loss for us,  and today the second pool in the village of Marj Na`ja is being targeted which threatens the only remaining sources of income for our families".

The village of Marj Na'ja is one of the rural communities that has been under constant attack by the occupation authorities as most of its agricultural projects are located in zone C , and hence, threatened with demolition. This situation has been worsened by the continuous Israeli refusal to expand the village's built in zone, and the prevention of any local activity aimed at improving the citizens' life standards there.