Land Research Center

Violation:   Burning farmers’ lands.

Location: Wad Al Wahadeen- Beit Ummar/ North Hebron.

Date: June, 9^th 2025.

Perpetrators: Settlers.

Affected party: Farmers from Awad family and Za’qeeq families.

Details:

On Monday, June, 9^th 2025, settlers burn vast areas from farmers’ lands in Wadi Al Wahadeen, southeast Beit Ummar town, north Hebron.

The lands belong to farmers from ( Awad and Al Za’aqeeq) families, about 12 dunams from lands planted with fruitful trees were burned.

The affected farmer, Khader Mohammad Khader Awad (55 years) told as follows:

‘’ As we, sons of deceased’s Mohammad Khader Muhaisen Awad own a piece of land with total area of 14 dunams in Wad Al Wahdeen, southeast Beit Ummar, planted with almond and grapes over past 30 years. On Monday and around (14:30) I saw posts in social media that the fire is blazing in Wad Al Wahdeen lands area, as one of the farmers filming the fire on a phone and posts it into social media, then I headed to there and found the fire on a part on our land, where in the location was fire truck follow by settlers and it seems Karmi tsoor settlement, large numbers of  occupation’s soldiers and four settlers, the fire truck was extinguished the fire to preventing post and what happened and arrive to settlement about 100 meters away from the burned land, so we talk to soldiers that we accuse the settlers about burning our land and there are videos show them in the burning location so soldiers replied to us that they inspection the settlers and they didn’t find any materials with them.’’

The picture above shows Wad Al Wahdeen area where the fire on a high area

According to affected citizen, Khader Awad, the fire extended to farmers’ names as follows:

The affected citizen Khader Awad noted that their burning land provides about 79 members included 40 children and 20 females.

About prior attacks in citizen’s Khader Awad land, settlers from a colonial outpost in Wadi Al Ameer ( south Wad Al Wahdeen area) released their livestock in his land at the end of 2024, and settlers’ sheep damaged and vandalized  trees, as they released near lands planted with winter crops, causing severe damage.

Burning Agricultural lands and Its Environmental Impact:

Agriculture is a fundamental pillar for several families, as it provides food security and meets their essential needs. Palestinian farmers also rely on it as a primary source of income. However, in recent times, agriculture has become a difficult and perilous challenge, with those who cultivate their land suffering significant losses due to the escalating acts of aggression by settlers, carried out under the protection—and often with the direct participation – of Israeli occupation forces. The core of the conflict lies in the land itself, which is subjected to widespread destruction, including bulldozing, vandalism, poisoning, and flooding with wastewater, culminating in the burning of trees and crops. these actions contaminate the air and soil without any deterrence or accountability.

In addition to ongoing confiscation of land, the denial of farmers’ access to their lands, and the closure of many agricultural roads, settlers and the occupation forces have recently intensified their acts of burning crops and trees. As a result, the settlers are causing significant environmental damage to the Palestinian land and it’s surrounding. This action involved the use of plastic materials and chemical pesticides, which release various pollutants into the air, causing distress and harm to humans, animals and agricultural produce.

Despite the fact that the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection is the responsible authority for environmental protection and pollution control, as stated on its official website—where it mentions that "air pollution does not stay in one place, nor does it know borders; it spreads according to climate conditions, winds, temperature, and humidity"—the primary contributors to air pollution are the settlers in the settlements and outposts across the West Bank. The burning of agricultural structures, trees, crops, other buildings, and even Palestinian homes and vehicles is a widespread practice among settlers.

According to the Israeli Criminal Procedures Order of 2022, "burning waste in an illegal location is subject to a fine of 2,000 shekels for an individual and 12,000 shekels for a company." The order further acknowledges that such practices can lead to chronic illnesses and an increased risk of cancer due to the inhalation of toxic substances.

The burning of such agricultural crops is no less harmful than burning waste; in fact, it is even more detrimental because it occurs on agricultural land that is privately owned by Palestinians. Therefore, the violation should be considered more severe due to the illegal entry onto someone else's property and the environmental harm caused.

Undoubtedly, the actions of the Israeli side violate not only international laws but also Israeli laws themselves. Referring to the details of this case, the Israeli Penal Code of 1977 and its amendments stipulate that trespassing on someone else's property with the intent to commit a crime is punishable by law. 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 to commit a crime, shall be punished with imprisonment for two years:

(1) enters or crosses the property;

 (2) enters the property unlawfully."

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

Reading the text of this article, it is clear that the Israeli Penal Code criminalizes the mere act of entering someone else's property without authorization, with the intent to insult, harass, or intimidate, and punishes it with a two-year prison sentence. The punishment is doubled if the offender enters the property and commits a crime, such as using a weapon or sharp tool, or even vandalizing agricultural land by cutting, burning, or destroying it. This is explicitly prohibited in the text of the aforementioned Penal Code.

Related link:

The occupation burns dozens of dunams planted with trees in Beit Ummar town, North Hebron

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