Violation: Sabotage of an irrigation water network.

Location: Beitillu village / Ramallah Governorate.

Date of Violation: 05/07/2024.

Perpetrator: Settlers from the "Halamish" settlement.

Affected Party: Farmer Mahmoud Hassan Ziyadeh.

Description: Settlers renewed their attacks on a piece of agricultural land in the "Wadi Al-Zarqa" area, north of Beitillu village in Ramallah Governorate. On the afternoon of Friday, 12/07/2024, a group of settlers, believed to have come from the "Halamish" settlement, attacked a four-dunam plot of land planted with vegetables. The settlers cut and sabotaged the irrigation network in that plot using sharp tools.

Effects of the attack on the irrigation network

 The damaged piece of land belongs to farmer Mahmoud Hassan Ziyadeh, who supports a family of five members, including three males and two children. The affected farmer reported to the Land Research Center’s researcher as follows:

"Agriculture is my main and only source of income. Several years ago, settlers attacked my land in the same way, damaging the irrigation network. Today, they cut and damaged the irrigation network again, resulting in damage to 150 meters of quarter-inch irrigation pipes used to irrigate four dunams of vegetables. This caused partial damage to the network and harm to the entire farm."

About Beitillu Village: Beitillu village is located northwest of Ramallah city, specifically 19 km away from the city. It is the largest village in the northwest of Ramallah in terms of land area. It is bordered to the east by Birzeit and Al-Mazraa Al-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. Beitillu village has a population of approximately 4,500 people. The village is known for its high percentage of youth and comprises several families, including Al-Bazzar, Ziyadeh, Badr, Darwish, and Al-Khatib. The village is famous for the cultivation of olives, almonds, figs, and citrus fruits. Beitillu has more than two thousand dunams of arable land. The total area of the village is about 13,419 dunams, of which 5,825 are irrigated lands, 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