For More Information, Call:
Land and Water Establishment For Immediate Release: Tel: (972) (02) 812364/824559 6 April, 1995 Fax: (972) (02) 811072
SETTLER LAND GRAB BEGINS AGAIN
Today settlers from Hashmona'im settlement, near Al Midyah village in the Ramallah area, attempted to construct a fence around their settlement. This would effectively confiscate the 120 dunums between the fence and the settlement. This land belongs to Mohammed El Abbed Sadaka, Abdel Hafez Mustafa and Yussef Mustafa.
At the outset of the construction, people from the village went to the area and prevented construction of the fence. The settlers then called the military, and the military forcibly dispersed the protesters, wounding Ragib Mohammed Sadaka.
Representatives from the Land Defense Committee in Ramallah went to the village to express their solidarity with the people. They discussed action, in preparation for protests to prevent further theft of their lands by the settlers in the Occupied West Bank.
This is not an isolated case. Settlers from Oranit settlement did the same by building the fence that currently surrounds the settlement. Previously, villagers from the nearby Sanirya and Azoun villages, who owned the land which was fenced in by the settlers, were allowed to enter the fenced-in area and cultivate their lands. Last week these "privileges" were revoked.
In Givat Ze'ev, settlers began bulldozing land around the settlement to construct a road that would completely encircle the settlement. For this they confiscated land from Al Jeeb village.
Lawyers from Land and Water Establishment are investigating these cases of land confiscation perpetrated by the settlers under the protection of the Israeli military and the Civil Administration. The Land Defense Committees will, with the landowners and with the support of those who oppose settlements, organize action against the continued confiscation of Palestinian lands.
The grassroots protest action, which was begun in El Khader, must continue. Palestinians must organize themselves to protect their lands, as the Oslo Accord has failed to protect even the most basic of Palestinian rights - the right to their lands.
Land and Water Establishment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. Their activity concentrates on land confiscation, property destruction and environmental issues.