Israeli settlers sow land conflict
Palestinian farmers face tough odds to bring in harvest
PALESTINIAN farmer Fawzi Ibrahim is proud of his heirloom corn, the kernels of which ripen in iridescent shades of red, blue and gold like jewels. But what makes it priceless are the obstacles he faces to grow his crops in the West Bank village of Jalud.
Small farmers struggle worldwide. But international experts say Palestinian farmers face disabling odds in the 60% of the West Bank under full Israeli control and home to some 400 000 Jewish settlers.
As settler agricultural start-ups get prioritised access to water, export markets and development rights, the Israeli occupation is disrupting the pastoral life of Palestinian farmers, experts say. This is adding fuel to a conflict in which land is a trigger.
For years, Israeli settlers have chased Ibrahim’s tractor, threatened him, yelled at his Israeli soldier escorts, tried to burn his fields and warned that letting him farm would risk bloodshed, Israeli group Rabbis for Human Rights said.
Ibrahim must co-ordinate with the Israeli army because his land is in a security zone abutting Israeli outposts. He and his lawyer waited eight weeks for permission to plant 20 hectares of winter wheat in two days, under the guard of Israeli soldiers. Ibrahim said he fears he will suffer thousands of dollars in farming losses again this year. “They’re making us poor,” he said.
A recent UN report said the Israeli occupation has set off a “continuous process of de-agriculturisation” in the Israeli-controlled West Bank, depriving the Palestinian economy of potential agriculture revenue of $700 million (R9 billion) by World Bank estimates, as Israeli settlers bar Palestinians from crops, grazing lands and springs.
A December report by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said Israeli settlements have overtaken 202 342ha of former Palestinian lands in Israel-controlled Area C. B’Tselem said an estimated 200 000 to 300 000 Palestinians live in Area C.
“What the Israeli settlers are doing in those areas is a disaster,” said Avshalom Vilan, executive director of Israel’s powerful Farmers Federation.
“They’re stealing from the lives of their Palestinian neighbours. It’s in Israel’s interest for Palestinian farmers to work their land peacefully.”
Israel’s co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Unit said 5% of Palestinian fields “adjacent to Israeli villages” in the West Bank require Israeli permission and escorts “to ensure that their work goes undisturbed… while implementing their right to cultivate their land”.