Violation: Uprooting trees, destroying an agricultural room, and cutting a fence.

Location: Village of Burqa – Ramallah Governorate.

Date of Violation: January 4, 2023.

Perpetrators: The colonial outpost established on the area's lands.

Affected Party: Farmer Shawar Rafiq Abd Ma’tan.

Description:

On Thursday, January 4, 2024, the village of Burqa, located east of the city of Ramallah, witnessed an attack carried out by a group of settlers who came from the colonial outpost established on the eastern lands of the village.

The settlers invaded a farm belonging to farmer Shawar Rafiq Abd Ma’tan, who supports a family of eight members, including three females and four children. The settlers demolished the agricultural room made of bricks and roofed with metal sheets using manual tools.

In addition, they uprooted 190 meters of the fence surrounding his land, which spans one and a half dunums. They also uprooted 17 saplings, including 11 olive trees and 6 almond saplings, aged three years.

Effects of the Attack on the Lands of Citizen Shawar Ma’tan

The impacted farmer, Shawar, stated to a LRC researcher the following:

"I own a piece of land in the 'Sahlat' area, located east of the village of Burqa. Eight hundred meters away, the occupation established a colonial grazing outpost three years ago. Over the past three years, this outpost has been a source of destruction for the lands of the village and neighboring areas, causing damage to fences, uprooting trees, and assaulting farmers near the area."

He added:

"I was shocked when I inspected my land with one of my brothers to find that the settlers had demolished my agricultural room, which was 16 square meters in size, completely destroying it. They also damaged the fence surrounding my land and uprooted 17 saplings planted on my land in a brutal and deliberate manner. Despite this, I will continue to stay on my land despite the challenges. I have informed the relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Civil Liaison, about the incident."

 Overview of the Village of Burqa

The village of Burqa is located northeast of the city of Ramallah, about 6 km away. Its total area is 6,470 dunums, and its population is approximately 2,980 people, according to data from the village council. Prominent families in the village include the Ma’tan and Al-Nabut families.

It is worth mentioning that the main entrance to the village, which connects it to Route 60, was closed by the Israeli occupation at the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2001. To this day, the entrance remains completely closed, forcing residents to use alternative routes. These detours require traveling from the village to Deir Dibwan, then Beitin, Ein Yabroud, Dura Al-Qar’, Jalazone Refugee Camp, Sarda, and Abu Qash before reaching Ramallah. This process is not only financially burdensome but also exhausting, adding over 18 km to the journey to Ramallah.

It should also be noted that Burqa is frequently targeted by settlers who wreak havoc and destruction on the land. The Al-Naba’a area north of the village is among the most targeted areas by settlers from the Migron settlement, who cause daily destruction and devastation in the region.

[1] المصدر: وحدة نظم المعلومات الجغرافية – مركز أبحاث الأراضي.

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