Violation: Cut and Vandalize 40 fig trees and stealing metal siege.

Location: Ramin village, south Tulkarm.

Date: May, 29^th 2025.

Perpetrators: Settlers.

Affected party: Farmer Malik Nedal Subahi Salman.

Details:

On Thursday dawn, a group of settlers raided an agricultural plot with total area of 11 dunams planted with fig trees located within ‘Wadi Salama’ area located west Ramin village south Tulkarm.

Settlers cut and vandalize 40 fig trees aging seven years, in addition to stealing 120 meters length of metal siege surrounded the plot and belongs to farmer Malik Subahi Salman, a resident from Ramin village, who supports a family consisting of 5 members, 2 of them are females and 3 children. 

The Affected farmer told the LRC researcher as follows:

‘’ I own a piece of land and considered my source of income as the land consisting of 100 fig trees, in fig season I sell the products and it saves me no less than 90,000 shekels. However, I suffer from settlers’ harassment as they attacked me several times and preventing me from accessing my land. In the morning of Thursday, I went to my land and I shocked that a part of my trees were cut completely and stealing siege around it. So, I screamed and the occupation forces came and expel me from my land and threatened that they will kill me if I exist in my land again, although that I determine to remain in my land.’’

 In April,30^th 2025, the field researcher documented settlers from the outpost located on the lands of Ramin village within natural block No. (9) from the villages’ lands attacked an agricultural land planted with fig saplings with total area of 3700 meters in’ Al Ghabat’ area and located 300 meters away east colonial outpost, settlers cut and destroyed 50 fig trees and damaging it completely, noted that the land belongs to farmer Ahmad Fo’ad Ahmad Salman, who supports a family consisting of 4 members, 2 of them are females and 2 children.

Ramin is a Palestinian village in the Tulkarm Governorate of the West Bank. It is one of the villages affected by the 1967 war. The village is located about 10 kilometers east of Tulkarm city, surrounded by a series of mountains and neighboring villages. Its built-up area covers 300 dunams.

The total area of Ramin's lands is 8,868 dunams, including 178 dunams allocated for roads and valleys. Its lands are bordered by the villages of Bazaria, Beit Lid, Saffarin, Anabta, Kafr al-Labad, Sebastia, Al-Naqoura, Burqa, and Deir Sharaf. The land is cultivated with grains, beans, lupines, and vegetables, as well as olive trees, almonds, figs, and grapes. The village's residents are also involved in livestock farming and work in education, trade, and various professions.

In 1997, the population of Ramin was approximately 1,567 people.

Notable families in the village include the Salman, Hamad, Zidan, and Thafer families.

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