Violation: Stealing Beehives and destroying Irrigation Networks.

Location: An Nazla ash Sharqiya Village, Tulkarm governorate.

Date: April, 1^st 2025

Perpetrator: The colonial grazing outpost located on the lands of the village.

Affected party: Three families from Katana family.

 Details:

Al Mughraqa area located on the northeastern of An Nazla Ash Sharqiya village, witnessed a new attack, starting from the colonial grazing outpost located on the village lands at the same targeted location.

On Tuesday morning April, 1^st 2025, a group of settlers from this colonial outpost attacked on several farmers there, this attack including: stealing and destroying Beehives and their equipment, as they targeted a plot with total area of five dunams and completely have been destroyed irrigation networks.

Below are the names of the owners of the impacted facilities and information about them:

Farmer Wael Taher Katana informed the researcher from the LRC as follows:

The plot of the land has been cultivated and planted since long years, located northeast of the village, but since the colonial outpost established on 200 meters away from the location. The farmers are suffering to access their lands, the occupation put a metal gave in the site during previous olive harvesting.

‘’The lands that attacked located on the northeastern of the village, these lands have long been cultivating and farming. However, since the establishment of the colonial outpost about 200 meters away from the land, constant access and farming of these lands have become so hard for farmers. Last olive harvest season, this site had an iron gate erected by the occupation forces, and from them on access has turned increasingly critical, it has become difficult to access the lands.’’

He added:

‘’On Tuesday, a group of settlers flying drones to chase the farmers and fear them into leaving their lands. as they stole beehives and damaged many of them. In addition to completely destroyed for irrigation networks on my land, with a total area of five dunams that I had set up  for agriculture. When the farmers returned to their land, the situation was miserable, and the destruction was obviously deliberate, to prevent us to returning again.’’

Since October ,7^th2023 and until now, An Nazla Ash Sharqiya villafge has been suffering from settlers’ attack on agricultural lands, attempting to seize them, vast areas of lands have been closed off and other areas were used field crops are now under the control of settlers. Despite repeated appeals by the council village and the farmers to international organizations for intervention, there have been no results. 

The field researcher at the LRC documented in previous time that settlers have constructed a colonial road and expanded, with the aim of imposing complete control over the area.

An Nazla Ash Sharqiya Village:

An Nazla Ash Sharqiya is located in the northern part of Tulkarm governorate, the total population now is approximately 1,623 people, The total area of the village is about 4840 acres.

 It is bordered by the village of Kafar Ra’ee and Ya’bud to the east, Kirbet Fraseen to the north, An Nazla Al Wousta to the west, and the village of Sayda to the south.  

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.

Related Links:

• Colonial Road Construction on the Lands of An Nazla ash Sharqiya Village and Closure of Agricultural Lands / Tulkarem Governorate
• Settlers Install Light Poles After Closing Agricultural Lands in An Nazla ash Sharqiya Village in Tulkarm Governorate

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

Photos - show the effects of destroying Beehives in An Nazla Ash Sharqiya village