Violation: land confiscation

Location: Madama village

Date:  February 26, 2018

Perpetrators: Yizhar colony

Victims: family from the village

Details:

A group of fanatic colonists from Yizhar, with support and protection of Israeli Occupation Forces, opened on February 26, 2018 an agricultural road (300 m length) that starts from the colony and leads to Al-Qu'dat area, which is relative to Madama village from the southern part .

Additionally, colonists fenced a parcel of land, the area of which was estimated by the village council to be 10 dunums.  The fenced land is located in the natural block number four of Al-Qu'dat area and is 300 meters away from Yizhar colony. Noteworthy, the targeted land is declared inaccessible for Palestinians due to its proximity to the colony.

Photo1 :colonists at time of fencing the parcel

 Owners of the land, heirs of Mohammad Nassar, said that they have documents proving their ownership of the land. They also said that they submitted a complaint to the Palestinian District of Coordination Office in that regard.

Member of Madama village council, Hazem Nassar, said that colonists who fenced the parcel were masked. He also mentioned that many farmers submitted complaints to Palestinian District of Coordination Office in regard to colonists' attacks and violations in the area but to no avail.

He added that the attacks' rate is notably increasing. Noteworthy, owners of lands are banned from accessing around 250 dunums in the area of Al-Qu'dat.

It is reported that some herders were shot fire at during grazing their sheep in the aforementioned area.

Madama is 12km  to the southeast of Nablus and is surrounded by Iraq Burin and Till (north), Asira al Qibliya (west), Burin (east), and Urif (south).

According to 2014 population projections , Madama is inhabited by 2262 people.

It has a total area of 3824 dunums, 190 of which are built-up area of the village.

The Israeli occupation confiscated 118 dunums for Yitzhar colony which was built on Madama lands in 1983. The colony is inhabited by 400 colonists.

The Israeli occupation is not only taking over land and water resources of the  village, but they are also targeting Palestinians residing there through attacking them on almost a daily basis.

About Yizhar:

It was established in 1983 with a total built-up area of 788 dunums. The colony populates 440 colonists and is founded on confiscated lands from the Palestinian villages of Burin, Huwwara, Einabus, Urif, Asira Al-Qibliya and Madama.

The contents of this document is the sole responsibility of LRC and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union