The residents of the Palestinian village of Sabastiya planted approximately 600 new apricot trees, donated to them by Oxfam, on their land. As the settlement of Shavei Shomron lies about 400 meters away, the organization also donated a concertina wire fence to the residents, to protect the orchard from unwanted visitors.
The settlers began their sabotage attempts on the day the trees were planted. The settlement security officer for Shavei Shomron came there, with soldiers, and demanded that the work stop on the grounds that the area is a “nature reserve”. A background check with the Israeli DCO confirmed that the land is farmland and can be cultivated, snuffing out the officer’s hopes. For the time being.
On the last day of January 2020, a village resident called two of the landowners, Ahmad and Nizar Kayed, to report he could see settlers in their orchard. The two men hurried to the spot in time to see five settlers fleeing towards Shavei Shomron. The settlers had managed to uproot some 40 saplings and cut the fence.
The next day, Israeli DCO representatives came to the orchard to photograph the damage. Will the landowners be compensated? Will the settlers respect the property of others and remain on the other side of the fence next time? Stay tuned.
Sabastiya, 31 January 2020: Settlers uproot 40 apricot saplings and cut orchard fence