Violation: Burning of an agricultural room and a greenhouse

Location: Salfit

Date:  March 10^th ,2025

Perpetrators: Settlers from ‘al Ras’ outpost

Affected Party: The farmer Hassan Zuhdi Al Ali

Details:

In the early hours of Monday, March 10,2025, A group of settlers, targeted Al ‘Shallal’ area, located to the west of Salfit. It is worth noting that the area is located one kilometer away from Ras area, where settlers established a new grazing outpost four years ago.

It is mentioned that the settlers targeted a three dunams agricultural plot located in al ‘Shallal’ area. The land belongs to the farmer Hassan Zuhdi Al Ali, who is the sole provider for a family of five members, including three females, and three children. They are residents of Salfit city.

It is reported that the settlers set fire to an agricultural room and plastic house, resulting in the following damages:

• Complete burning of an agricultural room made of corrugated iron sheets with an area of 45m², which was used as a storage for agricultural tools.
• Burning of a greenhouse with total area of half a dunam, where the nylon and part of irrigation networks were burned. It was used for growing vegetables.

show the effects of the burning in Salfit

The affected farmer stated: 

“I rely on agriculture, in addition to my primary job in National Security Apparatus. I own a piece of land in al ‘’Shallal’’ area, and I cultivate it to secure an income for my family. I have been doing this work for many years.’’

He added: 

On the morning of Monday, March 10, 2025, I received a call from one of the farmers, who informed me that the settlers had burned down my farm. It is worth noting that, a few days before the fire, they had been present in the area continuously. Immediately, I headed to the area and saw that the room had been completely burned down, leaving nothing behind. It contained agricultural equipment, household tools and a sleeping mattress. Additionally the plastic house was burned completely. And all the crops were destroyed. I reported the incidents to the civil liaison and field an official complaint, but nothing has happened so far.

It is worth noting that the settlers in the colonies occupying Salfit lands, since the beginning of February, escalated their attacks on agricultural lands in various locations of the governorate. A large number of saplings olive trees have been uprooted, branches of several olive trees have been cut, and various agricultural properties have been damaged in multiple areas of the governorate. 

The springs area is considered one of the strategically important lands in Salfit, as it overlooks Al Matwi valley, which is characterized by an abundance of springs. In addition, it overlooks the northern entrance to Salfit and large area of land. The establishment of this outpost on the lands of Ras area, overlooking springs area, has contributed to the plans of seizing vast areas of land extending as far as the town of Broqin to the west. This paves the way for, in the future, dividing the governorate’s lands into two sections, imposing facts on the ground, and altering the demographic character of the inhabitants of the governorate.

Legal commentary:

Burning Agricultural Structures and Its Environmental Impact

Many Palestinian farmers construct agricultural rooms on their lands to rest, storing farming tools, fertilizers, chemical pesticides, irrigation pipes, and other equipment. Some of these rooms also contain furniture made of materials like plastic or foam.

These rooms are widespread across Palestinian lands and have recently become a frequent target of Israeli occupation forces and settlers. In addition to demolition and threats, settlers often resort to burning agricultural rooms, as seen in the case of the Zuhour family, whose agricultural room was set ablaze by settlers.

The burning of these rooms causes significant environmental harm, especially since they often contain plastic materials and chemical pesticides. This leads to the release of various pollutants into the air, causing discomfort and harm to humans, animals, and crops.

Plastic materials, rich in carbon, contribute to greenhouse gas emissions when burned. The fires also release airborne ash particles, further polluting the atmosphere. If chemical pesticides are present in the rooms, their evaporation during the fire releases toxic substances into the air, posing serious health risks to people who inhale these pesticide fumes.

Despite the fact that the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection is the responsible authority for environmental protection and pollution control, as stated on its official website—where it mentions that "air pollution does not stay in one place, nor does it know borders; it spreads according to climate conditions, winds, temperature, and humidity"—the primary contributors to air pollution are the settlers in the settlements and outposts across the West Bank. The burning of agricultural structures, trees, crops, other buildings, and even Palestinian homes and vehicles is a widespread practice among settlers.

According to the Israeli Criminal Procedures Order of 2022, "burning waste in an illegal location is subject to a fine of 2,000 shekels for an individual and 12,000 shekels for a company." The order further acknowledges that such practices can lead to chronic illnesses and an increased risk of cancer due to the inhalation of toxic substances.

The burning of such agricultural rooms is no less harmful than burning waste; in fact, it is even more detrimental because it occurs on agricultural land that is privately owned by Palestinians. Therefore, the violation should be considered more severe due to the illegal entry onto someone else's property and the environmental harm caused.

Undoubtedly, the actions of the Israeli side violate not only international laws but also Israeli laws themselves. Referring to the details of this case, the Israeli Penal Code of 1977 and its amendments stipulate that trespassing on someone else's property with the intent to commit a crime is punishable by law. Article 447 of the Penal Code states:

"Anyone who does any of the following with the intent to intimidate, insult, or harass the property owner, or to commit a crime, shall be punished with imprisonment for two years:
 (1) enters or crosses the property;
  (2) enters the property unlawfully."

(b) A crime is committed under this section if the offender carries a firearm or a sharp weapon, and the punishment is imprisonment for four years.

Reading the text of this article, it is clear that the Israeli Penal Code criminalizes the mere act of entering someone else's property without authorization, with the intent to insult, harass, or intimidate, and punishes it with a two-year prison sentence. The punishment is doubled if the offender enters the property and commits a crime, such as using a weapon or sharp tool, or even vandalizing agricultural land by cutting, burning, or destroying it. This is explicitly prohibited in the text of the aforementioned Penal Code.

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