I inherited olive groves from my father in a 45-dunam plot north of the town of Salfit. The settlement of Ariel was established north of the plot, on the land of farmers from Salfit and from neighboring villages. Israel surrounded our land with the settlement’s security fence and now we can only enter it through an agricultural gate, on specific days that the military “coordinates” every year. In spring, we’re allocated about three days to prune the trees and spray the weeds. In summer, we’re given about three days to weed and check on the trees. Then, in the harvest season, we get 20 to 30 days to pick the olives. Because we can't go to the land whenever we need, we can’t tend to the soil and trees properly. The settlers freely enter the groves and damage the trees.
On 3 October 2021, I was at home when a town resident called and asked if I was harvesting olives on my land that lies beyond the settlement fence. I immediately said I was home and that the date we’d been given to start the harvest was a week away. I realized the settlers were using the time until the Israeli authorities allowed us to access our land in order to pick the olives themselves.
I asked the man to film the settlers on his phone and send me the footage. He sent me a video showing them picking olives on my land with harvesting machines. I immediately went to the Palestinian DCO’s office and gave them the video. I asked them to arrange for us to enter the land right away. I got permission from the Israeli DCO to enter my land via the entrance to the settlement of Ariel.
When I got to my land, I saw a settlers’ car. Inside it were sacks of olives they’d picked on my land. The car immediately drove out of the plot. I told the police officer who was there that he had to stop the car because it had sacks of my olives in it, but he didn’t care.
They only allowed me to stay on my land for about an hour. When I checked the grove, the damage was obvious. There were olives and broken branches strewn on the ground, and it was clear the settlers had picked the olives with new harvesting devices. I checked the area that was harvested – about five dunams of large olive trees. I estimate that they stole 1,700 to 2,000 kilograms. They'd probably started harvesting a few days earlier. The sight broke my heart. I’m still angry and sad.
After the Israeli DCO representative asked the police officer if he knew the settlers, the officer said that he had the names and details of the four settlers who were in the grove.
I went home, took the land ownership deeds and went to the Israel Police. I gave them a video and photos clearly showing the settlers stealing the olives and filed a complaint. Now I’m waiting to go with my family to our land on the date set for us – next Sunday, 10 October 2021 – and harvest what’s left after the settlers stole the olives.
