Land Research Center

Violation: Cutting and damaging 15 olive saplings.

Location: Jabal al Ras- Lands of Umm Safa village/ Ramallah Governorate

Date: April, 6^th , 2025

Perpetrators: Settlers

Affected party: Farmer Abdallah Mohammad Mahmoud Abayat

Details:

On Sunday evening, a group of settlers raided Jabal Al Ras area located in Umm Safa lands, north Ramallah, and attacked a plot of piece planted with olive saplings by cutting and destroying 15 olive saplings (6 years old).

The affected land belongs to farmer Abdallah Mohammad Mahmoud Abayat, who supports a family of three members, including one child and one female.

The affected farmer told LRC researcher:

At the beginning of this year, I purchased olive saplings that were six years old, and planted them on my land with total area of three dunams. Since two years, the area is subjected to continuous harassment by settlers, the goal of the agriculture was to protect it from the settlers’ aggression.  On Sunday evening, I noticed the presence of settlers on my land. In the following morning, while heading to my land, I was shocked to find olive saplings cut down from my land and completely damaged.

It worth noting that the village is attacked by settlers daily, According to field research, the occupation has established a new grazing outpost and tries from time to time to encroach on the neighboring lands with the aim of expanding that settlement at the expense of our lands, such as ‘’Atirat’’ settlement located on the lands of the village.

It is worth mentioning that Jabal ‘’Al Ras’’ is a vital mountain, it overlooks Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah villages. about 400 dunams of lands at the area belong to Umm Safa village, while other areas of land belong to the villages of Aroura and Ajoul. The mountain is about 600 meters away from ‘’Atirret’’ settlement, several attempts have been made to seize and take control of the mountain, that was declared as ‘’ state lands’’ in 1983, although the Israeli Civil administration has recorded proving the villagers’ ownerships of the mountain.

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About Umm Safa Village:

Um Safa Village is located 12 kilometers north of Ramallah City. It is bordered by the lands of the villages of Ajoul and Atara to the east, Ajoul and Deir Sudan to the north, Deir Nitham and Nabi Saleh to the west, and Barham, Jibiya, and Kobar to the south.

The village's population was approximately 670 as of 2017, with residents from families such as Tanaatra, Sabah, Musleh, Arqoub, Bahr, Quna, and Hamad. The total area of the village is 4,403 dunams, with 93 dunams designated for construction. The occupation has confiscated 230 dunams for the benefit of the "Ataret" and "Halamish" settlements, which occupy parts of the village lands.

Related links:

Colonists Establish a New Settlement Outpost on the Lands of Um Safa Village, North of Ramallah

Occupation Begins Expanding the "Atirat" Settlement on Lands of Umm Safa Village North of Ramallah

Attacking Trees... A Form of Israeli Violations of Palestinian Environment:

The frequency of attacks by settlers and the military on Palestinian trees has been increasing. According to the field research team at the Land Research Center, since the beginning of 2024 until October 31, 2024, the occupation has targeted more than 57,323 trees and saplings, marking the highest number in the past 10 years. Of these trees, 90% have been completely destroyed, which signals a real environmental disaster.

The loss of trees, whether by cutting, burning, or poisoning, results in a reduction in the number of trees, leading to a decrease in vegetation cover. This, in turn, reduces the amount of oxygen produced in the region and increases the concentration of carbon dioxide. Moreover, the destruction of trees leaves animals without shelter or food, threatening the extinction of certain species due to the destruction of their natural habitat, which harms biodiversity.

Legal commentary: 

The Palestinian environment, in general, is subjected to numerous environmental violations by the Israeli occupation, disregarding all international and national laws and conventions related to the protection of environmental rights. The right to live in a clean and healthy environment is a fundamental human right that has been inherent to mankind since the beginning of creation. The occupation often attempts to present itself as being concerned with international environmental issues, despite having signed major environmental protection agreements, such as the Basel Convention in 1989, the Rotterdam Convention in 2008, the Stockholm Convention in 2001, and the Ramsar Convention in 1971, as well as air quality and climate protocols. Nevertheless, Israel continues to violate all of these treaties without accountability or oversight.

In addition to the provisions regarding the right to enjoy a clean and healthy environment for all those under military occupation according to international laws, conventions, and treaties, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 2200A (d-21) on December 16, 1966, in Article (1), paragraph (2): "...All peoples, in pursuit of their own objectives, have the right to freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising from the international economic cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefit and international law. In no case shall a people be deprived of its means of subsistence...".

Undoubtedly, the violations carried out by the Israeli occupation contradicts with the laws of the occupation state itself before any other laws. Referring to the details of this case, the Israeli Penal Code of 1977 and its amendments stipulate that trespassing on someone else's property to commit a criminal act punishable by law is an offense. By reading Article 452 of the Israeli Penal Code, we find that the law punishes those who commit an offense or cause damage to property such as (a water well, a water reservoir, a dam, a floodgate, planted trees, a bridge, a tank, or a water cistern) with a penalty of five years imprisonment.

 In addition to, Article 447 of the Penal Code states: "Anyone who does any of the following with the intent to intimidate, insult, or harass the property owner or commit a crime shall be punished by imprisonment for two years:

(1) Enters or crosses the property;

  (2) After entering the property legally, remains there unlawfully.

(b) A crime is committed under this section if the offender carries a firearm or a cold weapon, and the punishment is imprisonment for four years."

By reading the text of this article, we find that the Israeli Penal Code criminalizes the mere act of entering someone else's property without permission, with the intent to insult, harass, or intimidate, and punishes this act with two years of imprisonment. The punishment increases to four years if the offender commits any act on someone else's property using a weapon or a sharp tool, referred to as a "cold weapon." This is explicitly criminalized in the text of Article 447 of the aforementioned Israeli Penal Code. Additionally, a penalty of 5 years imprisonment is imposed on those who cause damage to property mentioned in Article 452. Therefore, the violator, the "settler," should face a compounded violation: the first for entering a property that is not theirs, and the second for trespassing on and cutting down the planted trees, resulting in environmental harm.

Therefore, the Israeli aggressor blatantly violates both international laws and treaties, as well as the internal laws of the "occupying state," in a clear violation. Consequently, the "Israeli judiciary" must hold the settlers accountable and punish them for these actions based on the provisions of their own laws. However, there is no legal accountability for the aggressors by the Israeli judiciary. Despite this, every human being on this earth has the right to live in a clean, healthy, and safe environment, free from any violation or aggression against it.

مشروع: حماية الحقوق البيئية الفلسطينية في مناطق "ج" SPERAC IV - GFFO

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of Land Research Center and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the project donor; the Norwegian Refugee Council.

إخلاء المسؤولية: الآراء ووجهات النظر الواردة في هذا التقرير هي آراء ووجهات نظر مركز أبحاث الأراضي ولا تعكس بالضرورة وجهات نظر أو مواقف الجهة المانحة للمشروع؛ المجلس النرويجي. للاجئين

show the effects of cutting saplings in Umm Safa village