• Violation: Cutting and destruction of 69 productive olive trees.
• Location: Yatma village, south of Nablus Governorate.
• Date of Violation: 03/05/2026.
• perpetrators: Colonists from the “Rehelim” Colony.
• victims: 4 families from the Sanobar family (17 individuals).

Details of the Violation:

A group of colonists from the “Rehelim” colony attacked parts of the lands of Yatma village, south of Nablus Governorate, on the morning of Sunday, 03/05/2026, in the area known as “Al-Khamas,” located west of the village.

According to field data, the colonists used a chainsaw to cut down and destroy 69 old olive trees estimated to be around 40 years old. The branches were completely severed, and severe damage was inflicted on the trunks, threatening many of the trees with loss of productivity or gradual death in the coming period.

This attack is part of a series of repeated assaults targeting agricultural lands in the area. Through these practices, the colonists aim to impose new realities on the ground and force Palestinian farmers away from their lands by destroying the foundations of agricultural life, including fruit-bearing trees that constitute the main source of income for many village families.

The available information also indicates that these attacks are part of a systematic policy aimed at restricting farmers’ access to their lands and preparing the area for further colony’s control in the future, whether through expansion or the establishment of new colonial outposts. This contributes to the gradual transformation of the agricultural character of the area and deprives landowners of fully utilizing their lands.

The Following Table Shows the Details of the Damages According to Field Monitoring:

It is worth noting that, over the past three years, the field researcher documented the cutting of approximately 260 trees in the same area by colonists. This clearly indicates that the targeting of this area is neither random nor isolated, but rather part of a systematic process aimed at imposing full control over this land basin.

This conclusion is reinforced by the area’s proximity — less than 200 meters — to the “Rehelim” colony, suggesting that these attacks form part of a possible preemptive plan to expand the  colony toward the surrounding agricultural lands.

Testimony of Farmer Mohammad Abdul Hamid:

Farmer Mohammad Abdul Hamid from Yatma village told the Land Research Center researcher:

“My family and I own around seven dunums of agricultural land located in the ‘Al-Jamas’ area, classified as Area C under the Oslo Accords. Access to it is only possible through prior coordination and for limited hours because of its proximity to the ‘Rehelim’ colony ”.

 He explained that since the October 2023 war, the occupation authorities have imposed strict restrictions on farmers’ access to their lands, effectively depriving them of regular access. Farmers were only allowed to enter for a few hours during the last olive harvest season.

He added that his land contained around sixty olive trees, which under normal conditions produced approximately 12 cans of olive oil annually. However, production has sharply declined due to attacks and the cutting of part of the trees, to the point where production has become almost nonexistent, resulting in the loss of a primary source of family income that depended on the olive season.

 He stressed that the land represents both a main source of livelihood and a family inheritance passed down through generations, but it is increasingly threatened by imposed restrictions, difficulties in access, and what he described as continuous threats facing the area, placing its agricultural future and private ownership under growing danger.

 Environmental Impact:

The cutting of approximately 96 olive trees in Yatma village, within an agricultural area that depends mainly on olive cultivation, has caused clear negative environmental impacts. It has reduced the permanent vegetation cover, which is one of the essential components for maintaining the balance of the local ecosystem, especially in mountainous and semi-arid areas.

The destruction has also increased the exposure of the soil to erosion and degradation because trees play a crucial role in stabilizing soil and limiting erosion caused by rain and wind. In addition, the destruction of old trees reduces local biodiversity associated with olive groves, including birds, insects, and microorganisms that depend on this agricultural environment.

In the long term, this type of violation leads to a decline in the productive capacity of the land and weakens the sustainability of traditional agricultural activity in the area, negatively affecting the overall environmental balance.

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