The Israeli occupation notified Tuesday, October 18, 2022 the Municipal Council of Khirbet A‘tuf village, to the southeast of Tubas, of their intention to uproot tens of thousands of forest trees from the area.
The Israeli occupation forces handed the Municipal Council a notice to remove 30,000 forest trees planted in a 1600-donum pasture reserve according to eye-witnesses.
Head of the Municipal Council, Abdullah Bsharat, said that the trees were planted by the Council and Ministry of Agriculture with funds from international donors, explaining that the military notice to uproot the trees, dated October 6, was found out October 18 in the reserve.
The Jordan Valley, which is a fertile strip of land running west along the Jordan River, is home to about 65,000 Palestinians and makes up approximately 30% of the West Bank.
Since 1967, when the Israeli army occupied the West Bank, Israel has transferred at least 11,000 of its Jewish citizens to the Jordan Valley. Some of the settlements, where they live were built almost entirely on Palestinian-owned lands.
In violation of international law, the Israeli military not only temporarily displaces the communities on a regular basis, but also confiscates their farmlands, demolishes their homes and infrastructure from time to time.
Besides undergoing temporary displacement, the Palestinian families living there face a myriad restrictions on access to resources and services. Meanwhile, Israel exploits the resources of the area and generates profit by allocating generous tracts of land and water resources for the benefit of Israeli settlers.
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