Violation: Ravaging lands planted with olive trees.

Location: Sinjil town located north Ramallah.

Date: June, 18^th 2025.

Perpetrator: The occupation forces.

Affected party: 17 families from the village.

Details:

 Wednesday, June, 18^th 2025, The Israeli occupation carried out excavation works on vast areas included: ravaging and uprooting 169 olive trees that were planted in citizens’ lands nearby bypass road located north Sinjil, north Ramallah.  

The ravaging operations continued for three consecutive days, causing severe damage and extensive damage to trees, most of which are considered long- lived and ancient. The occupation deliberately used a military bulldozer to uproot the trees from their roots and destroy them, aiming to preventing farmer from replanting it. The occupation declared as a closed military area and preventing farmers from approaching and rehabilitate any tree.

It's worth noting that the actions that carried out by the occupation were, in fact, an implementation of a military order issued by the so -called commander of the Israeli occupation in the west bank, named ‘Aluf Blot’ dated 29/5/2025). The order was titled ‘’ instructions regarding the adoption of security measures (5/25: adoption of measures ) and targets 9.4 dunams of land in the town of Sinjil. These lands are distributed longitudinally along a segment of the bypass road that passes through the northern part of the towns’ lands, stretching for one and a half kilometer.

According to field monitoring, the affected trees belong to several farmers:

The affected farmer Jaser Ghafre to the LRC researcher told as follows:

‘’ What happened is yet another crime added to the long list of crimes committed by the Israeli occupation- an occupation that has closed off large areas of our lands, making them inaccessible to us. The occupation has sealed off the areas such as ‘’ Al Rafied’’ and Marj Azl’’, and today it is cutting down the trees we own in plots located nearby bypass road. It is worth noting that these areas have never posed any threat to the occupation, according to their own claims, but this method to destroying lands, noted that the uprooted trees were produced no less than 90 kilos of olive oil in each year, which is a significant loss to me.’’

Sinjil town suffers from the presence of more than four colonial outposts on it’s lands, About 2000 dunams planted with olive trees and serve several farmer, until now farmers and the resident of the village are facing a significant problem to accessing their lands, which that reflects to economic situation for several residents in the town.

About Sinjil:

20 kilometer north of Ramallah, Sinjil is surrounded by Al Labn Ash Sharqia (north), ‘Abween and Jaljilia (west), Qaryut and Turmus’ayya (east), and Al Mazr’a Ash sharqia (south).

Sinjil has a total population of 5742 people according to statistics conducted in 2017. It has a total area of 14028of which 888 are a built-up area of the village.

The Israeli occupation devoured 551 dunums of the lands of the village for two colonies. The first one is Maale Levona which was built in 1983 and confiscated 298 dunums of the village, and inhabited by 497 colonists. The second is Eli which was built in 1984 and devoured 253 dunums, and inhabited by 2058 colonists.

Moreover, bypass number ’60 took over 246 dunums of the village lands.

According to Oslo Accords, 14% of Sinjil is under Area A (PA has full civil and security control) while 30% is under Area B (PA is in charge of civil matters with Israel responsible for security). However, most of the village lands (56%) is under Area C (Israel maintains full security and administrative control). Here are the area in dunums:

• Area A (1980) dunums.
• Area B (4140) dunums.
• Area C (7908) dunums.

It’s worth noting that this action was preceded by several other orders, either (an order regarding the seizure of land – urgent and immediate) or (an order concerning security instructions, urgent and immediate). These orders have targeted lands planted with trees located near either a bypass/ settler, settlement/ annexation and expansion wall, below are the most notable cases documented by LRC at the beginning of 2025 and until the date of this report:

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, the occupation has targeted more than 59,740 trees including 34,200 saplings, marking the highest number in the past 10 years. Of these trees,89% have been completely destroyed, which more 1000 dunams were ravaged and that considered 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.

As the field research team documented at LRC since the beginning of 2025 until the date of preparation this report about 28,734 trees or saplings, 95% were completely damaged. 

Land Confiscation Violates International Laws:

What Israel is doing in the occupied Palestinian territories is considered a violation of the Palestinian people's rights and their lands, and a violation of international laws and conventions. The following are the most important texts contained in international laws and treaties that prohibit Israeli settlement in Palestinian territories and prevent interference with civil and public rights and properties in occupied territories, along with relevant United Nations resolutions.

Lahay Convention / 1907:

• Article 46: The occupying power may not confiscate private property.
• Article 55: The occupying power is considered a manager of lands in the occupied country and must treat the country's properties as private property.

Fourth Geneva Convention / 1949:

• Article 49: The occupying power has no right to transfer its citizens to territories it has occupied, or to take any action that leads to demographic change in them.
• Article 53: The occupying forces have no right to destroy individual or collective personal property, or property belonging to individuals, the state, or any authority in the occupied country.
• Article 147: The destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out on a large scale in an unlawful and arbitrary manner is a grave breach.

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