By Meredith Lee-Clark

Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

 

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – On October 14, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians in Wadi Ahmed near Beit Jala from reaching their olive trees for the annual olive harvest. The harvesters told Ma’an News Agency that they went to their lands early in the morning, only to find large gates and barbed wire across the entrance to the groves.

 

When asked why they were barred, Israeli soldiers told the farmers they did not have the proper permits to harvest. Olive harvest season is central in Palestinian culture—many people take time off from work or university to help their families with the harvest. Olive harvest season is also traditionally a time of increased hostility between Israeli settlers and Palestinian farmers. With the construction of the Israeli barrier through the West Bank, many Palestinians have found themselves separated from their olive trees, some of which are thousands of years old and have been in Palestinian families for generations.

 

The farmers in Wadi Ahmed were accompanied by local and international activists, who said they believed their presence would prevent attacks by Israeli soldiers. When the farmers and the activists refused to leave the area, they reported that the soldiers screamed at them and told them “there were no crops on the trees anyway.”

 

Awad Abu Soury, a Bethlehem resident who was with the farmers, said the soldiers “invented false stories about permits needed to access lands,” and speculated that the soldiers did “it on purpose to spoil the harvest and keep owners away from their lands.”

 

Elsewhere in the West Bank, farmers near Nablus reported that Israeli soldiers warned them that if farmers bring international activists to their trees, farmers could be charged with a fine of $1700 (U.S.).

 

Palestinian police forces have promised extra protection for farmers this fall, particularly where clashes between farmers and settlers have broken out in the past. The harvest this fall is expected to be particularly low, and many farmers are concerned about harvesting all the fruit from their trees.

 

For more information, please see:

 

International Middle East Media Center – The Military Fines Local Farmers 1,700 USD if They Bring International Activists to Their Lands – 15 October 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Olive Harvesters Must Now Apply for Permits Before Accessing Lands – 15 October 2009

 

Ma’an News Agency – Olive Harvesters Get Security Details This Year – 14 October 2009

 

Palestinian News Network – Concerns Over Olive Harvest Increase for Families Under Threat of Settlers – 7 October 2009