• Violation: Demolition of an agricultural room and cutting down olive trees.
• Location: Qusra Village / Nablus Governorate.
• Date of Violation: April 1, 2024.
• Perpetrator: Settlers from "Magdalim."
• Affected Party: Farmer Qusay Abdel Monem Wafiq Abu Reida.

Description:

On the morning of Monday, April 1, 2024, a group of settlers, believed to be from the "Magdalim" settlement, raided the "Al-Furn" area to the north of Qusra Village. Taking advantage of the area's calm and the absence of farmers, they targeted an olive grove owned by farmer Qusay Abdel Monem Wafiq Abu Reida, who supports a family of 8, including 3 females and 4 children.

The settlers cut down and damaged ten 45-year-old olive trees by breaking their branches and causing harm to them. They also damaged a metal fence surrounding the trees, extending approximately 200 meters. Additionally, they demolished an agricultural room made of bricks and reinforced concrete, which measured 16 square meters.

Farmer Qusay Abu Reida’s Statement

The affected farmer informed the Land Research Center researcher:

"A few months ago, I installed a metal fence around my 2-dunam olive grove, which includes a brick and concrete agricultural room. The land is located 200 meters from the bypass road that cuts through the village's land."

He added:

"I had noticed settlers near my land for some time. Despite this, I was determined to stay on the land to protect it since most of the surrounding land had already been targeted by settlers. On Sunday evening, I saw a group of settlers near my land. On Monday morning, I was shocked to find that the settlers had demolished the agricultural room, cut down the fence, and damaged ten olive trees. I immediately contacted the Palestinian Civil Liaison and will file a complaint with the occupation police about the settlers' attacks."

About Qusra Village[1]:

Qusra Village is located 23 km south of Nablus City. It is bordered to the north by Jureish Village, to the west by Talfit Village, to the east by Majdal Bani Fadel Village, and to the south it is surrounded by the "Mitzpe Rahel" settlement.

The village had a population of 5,418 as of 2017 and has a total area of 8,886 dunams, with 775 dunams designated as built-up area for the village.

The occupation has confiscated 223 dunams of its land, as detailed below:

• The "Magdalim" settlement, established in 1984, has seized 155 dunams and had 348 settlers according to 2018 statistics.
• Bypass road 508 has seized 68 dunams.