Land Research Center

Violation: Graffiti of inciting slogans and vandalizing an agricultural greenhouse.
Location: Beitillu Village, north of Ramallah.
Date of violation: February 17, 2025.
Perpetrators: Colonists from the "Hallamish" settlement.
Impacted Party: Farmer Ziad Mahmoud Ridwan Dar Ziyada.

Description:
 In the early morning hours of Monday, February 17, 2025, Beitillu village, located north of Ramallah, witnessed a new attack by a group of settlers, originating from the "Hallamish" settlement, which is built on the village’s land.

The settlers raided the Ain al-Zarqa area, located north of the village, targeting an agricultural greenhouse, electrical transformers, and sprayed inciting slogans in the area. The damaged properties belong to farmer Ziad Mahmoud Ridwan Dar Ziyada, who is the breadwinner of a family of five, including two females and one minor.

The affected farmer stated:

"I own agricultural land in the Ain al-Zarqa area, located to the northwest of Beitillu village, covering an area of 2 dunams, planted with citrus trees. About 10 years ago, I built a large agricultural greenhouse on 300 square meters of that land, where I grow various vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and others. It is worth mentioning that the Ain al-Zarqa area is located near the 'Hallamish' settlement to the northeast and the 'Nahliel' settlement to the southeast. The lands of Ain al-Zarqa are classified as 'Area B' according to the Oslo Accords.

On Monday, February 17, 2025, around 10:00 AM, I headed from my home in Beitillu village towards my land in the Ain al-Zarqa area to take care of it. When I reached the southern edge of the land, I noticed some writing in Hebrew using blue paint, which read: "You must leave," along with a drawing of the Israeli flag. This writing was on a sign belonging to the Palestinian wildlife conservation group, which was mounted on a metal fence surrounding my land. Upon seeing the slogan and the flag, I realized that the settlers were responsible for this act, especially since they often use such symbols.

I felt deeply concerned about my land, especially since settlers had previously attacked it in July 2004, when they destroyed the agricultural greenhouse and damaged the water pipes, and I had repaired them at that time. Therefore, I hurried to check the greenhouse, and I found that its plastic cover had been torn off entirely from three sides, including the roof, and the gate of the greenhouse had also been ripped apart.

Inside the greenhouse, there was a motor used to pump water from a nearby stream, and it had been removed from the greenhouse and set on fire, causing significant damage. It seems that the fire was caused by pouring a flammable substance onto it. Additionally, part of the irrigation pipes inside the greenhouse had been cut, which led to the complete destruction of the water network, as all the pipes are interconnected, and damaging one part leads to the failure of the entire system. I also found that the fence surrounding the western side of the land had been cut, and I believe the settlers did this to access the land from that area.

According to my estimates, I calculate my losses from the recent attack at around 30,000 shekels. This attack, in addition to the material losses, caused me severe fear, especially for my elderly parents, who are in their nineties and live near my agricultural land in the Ain al-Zarqa area. Now, due to the damage, the greenhouse needs complete rehabilitation, in addition to the loss of the agricultural season for this period at least, as I was in the process of planting tomatoes to sell in the markets. This situation left me feeling sad and angry, especially since this land is my livelihood and part of my family’s heritage.

Betillu Village in Brief:

Betillu is located to the northwest of Ramallah, approximately 19 kilometers from the city. It is the largest village in the northwest of Ramallah in terms of land area, bordered to the east by Birzeit and Al Mazra'aAl-Gharbiya, to the west by the Green Line, to the north by Nabi Saleh, and to the south by Ras Karkar and Al-Janiya. The village contains several water springs. Betillu is home to about 4,500 people and is considered a youthful village due to its high percentage of young people. The village is home to several families, including Al-Bazar, Zayada, Bader, Darwish, and Al-Khatib. The village is known for olive cultivation, as well as almond trees, figs, and citrus fruits. There are more than 2,000 dunams of arable land in Betillu. The total area of the village is approximately 13,419 dunams, of which 5,825 dunams are irrigated, and 2,500 dunams are planted with olive trees.

 مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC IV   - FCDO

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