Violation: Polluting agricultural groves in Sewage water.

Location: Deir Ballut / Salfit governorate.

Date: Oct 5th 2020.

Perpetrators: “Leshem” colonists.

Victims: Number of farmers from the village.

Description:

Olive trees are a symbol of land Arabism, the olive harvesting season is a national Palestinian celebration. During this season, Israeli colonists intensify their attacks against Palestinian lands and farmers.

Recently, illegal colonists of “Leshem” pumped large amounts of untreated waste water towards olive groves north the settlements in lands east Deir Ballut , on locations called “Al-Khawaneq” , “Zaitonat Al-Qeta’a” , and “As-Seer”.

Reportedly, Sewage water runs from “Leshem” colony 1200 m towards olive groves, and only 150 m away from the town’s houses, in an area known as “Bab Al-Marj” close to a neighborhood that contains 29 houses.

Sewage water covered 13 olive trees aging 40 years , the olive harvest on those trees is now polluted and unusable.

The polluted olive groves belong to: Heirs of Iftayeh Abdullah, Mohannad Abdullah, Ma’arouf Abdullah , and Halima Abdullah.

Deir Ballut village council head Yehia Abdullah told LRC the following:

“Deir Ballut municipality through official bodies and Salfit governorate office filed a complaint to the Israeli Authorities about this environmental crime last season when the pumping first occurred, nothing was done so the pumping was in a larger amount this season, this imposes threats on the environment and on public health."

The illegal colony “Leshem” was established in September 2013, on Kafr Ad-Dik and Deir Ballut lands. In order to establish the colony , 240 dunums in the Archeological Area of Deir Sama’an were ravages , for the construction of 120 colonial units.

About Deir Ballut:

24 km west Salfit, Deir Ballut is surrounded by Rafat village (north), The green line – occupied territories of 1948 (west), Kafr Ad-Deek village (east), Al-Lubban Al-Gharbi village (south).

• Deir Ballut is populated 3,870 people in 2017 census. The town’s people are from several families, namely: Tufaha, Khair, Abdullah, Qassim, Qaroush, Mesha’l, Mustafa, Musa and Hadrous.

•Deir Ballut has a total area of 11,339 dunums , of which 503 dunums are a built up area.

•Deir Ballut is popular with rain-fed agriculture such as (Armenian cucumber, Ladies fingers, garlic and others), in addition to olives and wheat.

•Deir Ballut contains a water spring in Wadi Al-Ein area, and the town’s people depend on the National Israeli water company, in addition to rain water harvest cisterns for daily use water.

Oslo accords classified the town's lands as the following :

- B area: 689 dunums.

- C area : 10,710 dunums.