Illegally occupied farm in Hebron successfully farmed despite settler pressure
First published on the ISM website
Co-written with Nidal, ISM
On the evening of Friday August 24th humanitarian workers from groups including the ISM, CPT and B’tselem accompanied the Jabaari family to their farm located between the exclusively Jewish Kiryat Arba and Givat Harsina settlements, near the old city of Hebron.
For a number of months now, a tent erected by local settlers on part of the Palestinian family’s farm has been used as a Synagogue. The Jabaari family claim that the tent and futhermore a pathway joining the settlements are illegal, using deeds to the land showing the police that it is legally owned by them. Despite this the police have not attempt to deconstruct either of the aforementioned structures, nor have they requested that the settlers leave the land.
Six international activists joined ten Palestinians and two Israelis to farm the land and monitor the situation to ensure the safety of the workers from the armed settlers. The land was worked through the gathering of grass to feed the farmer’s goats from 17:30 to 19:45. In addition to that, a large amount of razor wire which had been placed on the land by the military on a previous occasion was successfully removed.
While farming, soldiers harrassed workers and humanitarian monitors forcing them to remain in certain areas of the land which they were invited onto by the owners. Despite settler pressure on the farm labourers to end their work from the beginning of Shabat, everyone involved remained non-violent throughout and successfully managed to finish their work. Despite this small victory it does not alleviate the pressure that this family continue to face on a daily basis from settlers who intend on annexing their land in order to connect the two settlements.
Co-written with Nidal, ISM
On the evening of Friday August 24th humanitarian workers from groups including the ISM, CPT and B’tselem accompanied the Jabaari family to their farm located between the exclusively Jewish Kiryat Arba and Givat Harsina settlements, near the old city of Hebron.
For a number of months now, a tent erected by local settlers on part of the Palestinian family’s farm has been used as a Synagogue. The Jabaari family claim that the tent and futhermore a pathway joining the settlements are illegal, using deeds to the land showing the police that it is legally owned by them. Despite this the police have not attempt to deconstruct either of the aforementioned structures, nor have they requested that the settlers leave the land.
Six international activists joined ten Palestinians and two Israelis to farm the land and monitor the situation to ensure the safety of the workers from the armed settlers. The land was worked through the gathering of grass to feed the farmer’s goats from 17:30 to 19:45. In addition to that, a large amount of razor wire which had been placed on the land by the military on a previous occasion was successfully removed.
While farming, soldiers harrassed workers and humanitarian monitors forcing them to remain in certain areas of the land which they were invited onto by the owners. Despite settler pressure on the farm labourers to end their work from the beginning of Shabat, everyone involved remained non-violent throughout and successfully managed to finish their work. Despite this small victory it does not alleviate the pressure that this family continue to face on a daily basis from settlers who intend on annexing their land in order to connect the two settlements.
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