The expansion of Avnei Hefetz co

The expansion of Avnei Hefetz colony at the expense of Kufr El Labad village

Tulkarem district

The Palestinian village of Kufr Alabad is located 10 km to the east of the city of Tulkarem. It has the population of 4500 inhabitants, mostly working in agriculture, particularly olive cultivation.

The total area of the land affiliated to Kufr Alabad is estimated at 14500 dunum, the majority of which is olive groves.

The expansion of the colony of Evne Hifitz over an area of 300 dunums confiscated from Kufr Alabad land. The confiscated area which is called Deir Aban and located four km to the west of the village is totally covered with fruitful olive trees.

On February 5^th, 2004, Israeli bulldozers related to the colony of Evne Hifitz started to level the land in preparation for the construction of new housing units.

The colony was established in 1982 on Palestinian land confiscated from the villages of Kufr Alabad, Shufa, Izbat Alhafasi and Izbat Shufa adjacent to the colony. Ever since, the colony has been garbing adjacent Palestinian land and growing gradually in size and population.

The previous expansion of the colony took place in1997 when Israeli colonists seized 200 dunum of land owned by farmer Hamdan Taher Hamdan. A water tank and 8 mobile homes were erected on the land after a road had been built between the original colony to the west and the seized land of Mr. Hamdan. Later, the land was circled with barbed wires and provided with electricity lights. By the end of the year 2000, the number of mobile homes erected on this land reached 14.

The latter expansion took place on February 5^th, 2005 when bulldozers removed the fence and started to level and annex 300 dunum owned by nine Palestinian families from the village of Kufr Alabad.

The village mostly depends on agriculture as main income, especially olive tree. As a result of continuous confiscation, devastation and annexation of land, and uprooting of trees, the village farmers suffer hard economic conditions and very low income. This situation has been aggravated during the last three years of Intifada where farmers are prevented from tending their remaining land or collecting harvests under threats from Israeli armed colonists or army in official uniform. Even, shepherds are also forbidden from grazing their cattle in the vicinity of the village. For example, on 25.01.2004, coloninsts from Evene Hefetz physically attacked shepherd Fu'ad Mahmud Hussein, 22 years old while he was grazing his sheep in the vicinity of the colony.

Colonists continue to open fire at Palestinian farmers trying to take care of their land near. At the same time, the Israeli army performs acts of terrorism against local people by preventing them from entering or leaving the village to perform daily duties. In addition, night raids are constant policy of Israeli army against village inhabitants which are carried out to arrest of beat people.