2023-12-09
Violation: Cutting and damaging 20 olive trees.
Location: Sebastia, Nablus Governorate.
Date of Violation: December 9, 2023.
Perpetrators: Settlers from the pastoral settlement outpost.
Affected Party: Farmer Jawad Youssef Mohammad Ghazal.
Description:
On the evening of Saturday, December 9, 2023, the town of Sebastia, located north of the city of Nablus, witnessed an attack by a group of settlers from the pastoral settlement outpost established on parts of the town's land. The settlers targeted a plot of land planted with olive trees.
The settlers from the outpost north of Sebastia infiltrated an area known as "Al-Birka," about 1.5 kilometers east of the town, where they targeted olive trees. Taking advantage of the evening hours and the absence of farmers, the settlers proceeded to cut and damage 20 olive trees, approximately 35 years old, belonging to farmer Jawad Youssef Mohammad Ghazal (72 years old). They used sharp tools to sever branches, causing significant damage to the trees.
Farmer Jawad Ghazal supports a family of four, including three daughters. He told a researcher from the Land Research Center, "I own a piece of land in the Al-Birka area, covering three and a half dunams, inherited from my father. It’s planted with fruitful olive trees. Every year, we till and care for the land regularly. However, since the establishment of the new pastoral settlement outpost on our town's land near the Shafei Shomron settlement, we’ve suffered greatly from the settlers' attacks. They graze their sheep near the olive fields, damaging nearby plots. Despite this, we remain steadfast in the area despite these aggressions, the latest being the cutting and severe damage to the olive trees. This is the first attack on my land, with the damaged trees producing no less than 80 kilos of olive oil annually, meeting a substantial portion of my family’s needs."
About Sebastia[1]:
The town of Sebastia is located 12 kilometers northwest of the city of Nablus. It is bordered to the north by the village of Burqa, to the west by the village of Al-Masoudiya, to the east by the village of Nisf Jubeil, and to the south by the villages of Al-Naqura and Deir Sharaf. The population of Sebastia was 3,205 as of 2017. The total area of the village is 16,225 dunams, of which 521 dunams are designated as the built-up area of the village. According to the Oslo Accords, the village lands are classified as follows:
[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
