The agricultural room during the fire

Violation: Setting fire to an agricultural room.

Location: Village of Dahr al-Abd, Jenin Governorate.

Date of Violation: 07/07/2024.

Perpetrators: Colonists.

 Affected people / victim: Farmer Nidal Tawfiq ‘Amarna.

 Description In the early hours of Sunday, July 7, 2024, a group of colonists raided the "al-Dahrat" area located to the west of Dhaher Al-‘Abed village at Jenin Governorate and sat fire to an agricultural room built of bricks and roofed with tin sheets, used as a storage for agricultural tools.

The affected room belongs to farmer Nidal Tawfiq Amarna, who supports a family of four adults, including two children.

The affected farmer reported to the Land Research Center's researcher:

"I own a piece of agricultural land planted with fruitful olive trees, and for many years, I have been taking care of my land and regularly plowing it. A few months ago, I built an agricultural room on it, which I use for resting and storing tools and agricultural equipment. Despite the fact that the occupation established a pastoral colonial outpost 350 meters from my land four years ago, I am determined to stay and take care of my land and visit it daily. On Sunday morning, when I headed to my land, I was surprised to find that the colonists had sat the agricultural room on fire. This is the second attack of this kind; two months ago, they completely destroyed the contents of the agricultural room. This attack demonstrates the acts of vandalism they are committing, aiming to prevent us from being present on our land and forcing us to leave. However, I am determined to rebuild and stay there."

Dahr al-Abd:

A small village located west of Jenin city, about 26 km away. It is bordered by Zibda to the east and north, Akkaba to the west, and Qaffin to the south. The total area of the village is approximately 660 dunams, with about 80 dunams designated for construction. All village lands are located in Area C.

It is worth noting that the Land Research Center has recorded more than 350 colonist attacks on agricultural facilities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of 2024 until the date of this report. The colonists have targeted more than 57 agricultural rooms, either by burning, vandalizing, destroying contents, or stealing them.

The colonists' targeting of agricultural rooms built by Palestinian farmers on their land to store agricultural tools used for land care, and for resting after labor-intensive activities (plowing, watering crops, weeding, spraying with pesticides, etc.), aims to deter Palestinian farmers from their land and instill fear that accessing their land endangers their lives, thus depriving them of safely reaching their land.

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