Violation: Sabotaging 100 olive trees.

Location: Turmus'ayya town, north Ramallah.

Date: June, 23^th 2025.

Perpetrators: Shillo settlement.

Affected party: Farmer Abdallah Awwad Dar Awwad.

Details:

On Monday, June, 23^th 2025, Turmus'ayya town located northeast Ramallah witnessed a new attack by settlers from ‘Shillo’ settlement located on parts of Turmus'ayya town.

It’s worth mentioning that more than 60 settlers raided Turmus’ayya plain town, north town. They ravaging vast areas from agricultural lands with total area of 5 dunams and uprooted 100 fruitful olive trees aging 7 years, causing severe damage, noted that the targeted land located near fence of Shillo settlement, northwest town, the trees belonging to farmer Abdallah Abu Awwad.

The farmer Abdallah Awwad stated as follows:

‘’ What happens is a serious crime has been committed agricultural land, we are Abu Awwad Family which includes my 5 brothers and their families, we are 26 members, 12 of them are females and 14 children, we live near the settlement of ‘’ Shillo’’ which was established on the lands of Turmus’ayya lands. on Monday, a group of settlers raided our homes and closed off agricultural roads with stones. Using a civilian bulldozer, they raided our surrounding home and ravaging no less than 100 olive trees and completely uprooted, noted that trees were produced no less than 180 kilos of olive oil. However, they tried to attack us but other farmers came from the town, this forced the settlers to leave immediately. ‘’

According to field monitoring, Abu Awwad family attacked several times by settlers, these attacks included: cutting and burning olive trees, vandalizing their properties and raided their homes, ending with the martyrdom of one of the brothers during cattle their sheep near their home over past years.

In the same context, the Israeli occupation continues to completely closed off Turmus'ayya  plain area to Palestinian farmers, spanning more than 10 thousand dunams, while facilitating acts of vandalism, stealing lands by settlers as well as establishment a pastoral outpost in Turmus’ayya plain area, which contributed to loss most of agricultural lands.

About Turmus’ayya:

 It is located 25 km to the north east of Ramallah city. It has a population of 2464 people (according to a 2007 census). Its total area is 18139 dunums, 1350 of which are built-up area. There are two families in the town: Awwad, Jbara in addition to small families including: Shalby, Kouck, Herzmawi.

About 11218 dunums of land are under Area B (PA is in charge of civil matters with Israel responsible for security) and 6921 dunums are under Area C (Israel maintains full security and administrative control).

The Israeli occupation confiscated vast areas of the village for the benefit of the following colonies:

• Shilo and Mizpe Rahel devoured 1023 dunums.
• Mizpe Rahel devoured 706 dunums.
• The bypass road number 60 stole 12.5 dunums.

It’s worth mentioning that Turmus'ayya town suffered from several attacks by settlers and the occupation, as the field research team at LRC documented several numerous of Israeli’s violations since 7^th October 2025 until the date of preparation this date:

•  14-6-2025 Controlling to agricultural plot and establishment a new pastoral outpost in Turmus’ayya town, north Ramallah.
• 5/1/2025, settlers burn agricultural structure belonging to Abu Awwad family in Turmus’ayya town, north Ramallah.
• 8/12/2024 ,On the lands of B area, settlers establish a new colonial outpost on the lands of Turmus'ayya town/ Ramallah governorate.
• 9/10/2024, Settlers cut 70 olive trees in Turmus’ayya town, north Ramallah.
• 9/9/2024, Settlers attack an agricultural room and trees in Turmus’ayya town, North Ramallah.
•  7/7/2024 , Settlers Set Fire to Two Agricultural Rooms in Turmus’ayya/ North of Ramallah.
• 16/6/2024, Establishing a new colonial outpost on the lands of Turmus’ayya in Ramallah Governorate.
• 15/3/2024, A military order to confiscating lands in Sinjil and Turmus’ayya towns, north Ramallah.
• 18/2/2024, settlers burn vehicle belongs to Al Hindi family in Turmus’ayya town, north Ramallah.
•  18/1/2024, settlers from Shillo settlement attack on a structure belonging to Abu Awwad family, Ramallah governorate.

Legal Commentary:

The Palestinian environment, in general, is subjected to numerous environmental violations by the Israeli occupation, disregarding all international and national laws and conventions related to the protection of environmental rights. The right to live in a clean and healthy environment is a fundamental human right that has been inherent to mankind since the beginning of creation. The occupation often attempts to present itself as being concerned with international environmental issues, despite having signed major environmental protection agreements, such as the Basel Convention in 1989, the Rotterdam Convention in 2008, the Stockholm Convention in 2001, and the Ramsar Convention in 1971, as well as air quality and climate protocols. Nevertheless, Israel continues to violate all of these treaties without accountability or oversight.

In addition to the provisions regarding the right to enjoy a clean and healthy environment for all those under military occupation according to international laws, conventions, and treaties, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 2200A (d-21) on December 16, 1966, in Article (1), paragraph (2): "...All peoples, in pursuit of their own objectives, have the right to freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising from the international economic cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefit and international law. In no case shall a people be deprived of its means of subsistence...".

Undoubtedly, the violations carried out by the Israeli occupation contradicts with the laws of the occupation state itself before any other laws. Referring to the details of this case, the Israeli Penal Code of 1977 and its amendments stipulate that trespassing on someone else's property to commit a criminal act punishable by law is an offense. By reading Article 452 of the Israeli Penal Code, we find that the law punishes those who commit an offense or cause damage to property such as (a water well, a water reservoir, a dam, a floodgate, planted trees, a bridge, a tank, or a water cistern) with a penalty of five years imprisonment.

In addition to, 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 commit a crime shall be punished by imprisonment for two years:

(1) Enters or crosses the property;

  (2) After entering the property legally, remains there unlawfully.

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

By reading the text of this article, we find that the Israeli Penal Code criminalizes the mere act of entering someone else's property without permission, with the intent to insult, harass, or intimidate, and punishes this act with two years of imprisonment. The punishment increases to four years if the offender commits any act on someone else's property using a weapon or a sharp tool, referred to as a "cold weapon." This is explicitly criminalized in the text of Article 447 of the aforementioned Israeli Penal Code. Additionally, a penalty of 5 years imprisonment is imposed on those who cause damage to property mentioned in Article 452. Therefore, the violator, the "settler," should face a compounded violation: the first for entering a property that is not theirs, and the second for trespassing on and cutting down the planted trees, resulting in environmental harm.

Therefore, the Israeli aggressor blatantly violates both international laws and treaties, as well as the internal laws of the "occupying state," in a clear violation. Consequently, the "Israeli judiciary" must hold the settlers accountable and punish them for these actions based on the provisions of their own laws. However, there is no legal accountability for the aggressors by the Israeli judiciary. Despite this, every human being on this earth has the right to live in a clean, healthy, and safe environment, free from any violation or aggression against it.

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

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