Violation: Bulldozing grape-planted agricultural land.

Location: Ras Salah Basin – Al-Khader Town, Bethlehem Governorate.

Date: 21/12/2023.

Responsible Party: Settlers from the "Daniel" Settlement.

Affected Parties: Anwar Abu Samra, Muhammad Abu Samra, Rizq Abu Samra.

Description:

On the morning of Thursday, December 21, 2023, settlers from the "Daniel" settlement bulldozed 6 dunams of agricultural land planted with grapevines.

Mr. Eyad Issa, a member of the Milad Office at Al-Khader Municipality, informed a Land Research Center researcher:

“The settlers invaded the area near the 'Daniel' settlement and bulldozed agricultural land using a bulldozer operated by a settler. Since the October 7 war, the settlers have consistently bulldozed lands, uprooted trees, and destroyed agricultural rooms, with the occupation army providing them with protection, covering up their actions, and facilitating their seizure of lands to expand settlements built on citizens' lands.”

It should be noted that citizens filed a complaint with the occupation police in Gush Etzion about the assault, and afterward, the Israeli Civil Administration visited the site to document the violation. The complaint was filed, but no action has been taken so far regarding this violation.

The affected citizen, Anwar Abu Samra, informed the Land Research Center researcher:

“The agricultural land is close to the 'Daniel' settlement, and the settlement houses are adjacent to the land. Therefore, the 'Daniel' settlers constantly seek to control and attack it to prevent us from accessing the land, ultimately aiming to seize it.”

Overview of Al-Khader Town[1]:

Al-Khader is located 4 kilometers west of Bethlehem. It is bordered to the north by the city of Beit Jala and the town of Battir, to the west by the village of Husan and the town of Nahalin, to the east by Doha city, Wadi Rahal village, and Beit Jala city, and to the south by Wadi an-Nis village.

The population of Al-Khader was 11,960 as of 2017. The total area of the town is 8,279 dunams, with 184 dunams designated as built-up land.

Israeli settlements have seized 29 dunams of the town’s land, with two settlements located on part of the town's land. The first settlement, "Efrat," was established in 1979 and seized 5.8 dunams of the town’s land and has 7,037 settlers. The second, "Neve Daniel," was established in 1982 and has taken 23 dunams of land from the town, housing 1,073 settlers.

Additionally, bypass roads No. 60 and No. 375 have seized over 487 dunams. Furthermore, the Separation Wall has damaged 280 dunams and will isolate 5,638 dunams. The total length of the Separation Wall on the town's land is 2,805 meters.

According to the Oslo Accords, Al-Khader's land is classified into Areas A, B, and C. Area A represents 10%, Area B represents 6%, and Area C represents the majority, subject to full Israeli control, covering 84% of the town's land, as detailed below:

• Area A: 808 dunams
• Area B: 475 dunams
• Area C: 6,996 dunams

[1]Source: Geographic Information Systems Unit – Land Research Center

مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC 11

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the project donor; the Norwegian Refugee Council.

إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير هي آراء ووجهات نظر مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الجهة المانحة للمشروع؛ المجلس النرويجي. للاجئين