The key facts

  • The order was signed by the commander of Israeli forces on October 28 and covers 37.8 acres (15.3 hectares) in Dura and Tarqumiyah
  • Owners have seven days from the field inspection to remove the trees or file objections
  • The commission warns of consequences for agriculture, the environment and farmers' livelihoods along more than 7.5 km

Military order in Hebron

Israeli authorities issued a military order requiring the removal of almond trees and wild vegetation on 37.8 acres of land in the towns of Dura and Tarqumiyah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Wall and Settlements Resistance Commission reported on Thursday. According to the commission, the order was signed by the commander of Israeli forces on October 28.

What the order provides for

The document covers several plots in Dura — the areas of Tars, Wadi Khuzem, Khirbet Deir Samit, Khirbet Sabr, Jabal al-Saadi and Khirbet al-Deir — as well as land in Tarqumiyah. Owners or property managers are required to remove the trees and vegetation within seven days after a field inspection scheduled by the Israeli liaison body. If they fail to do so, the removal may be carried out by parties authorized by the military commander. Objections may be filed within up to seven days from the date of the inspection.

The commission's response

The commission warned of agricultural, environmental and economic consequences: the removal of trees and vegetation along more than 7.5 km (4.66 miles), it estimated, would undermine the land's productive and ecological value, farmers' livelihoods and their connection to the land. The commission stated that references to “security measures” serve as a tool for interfering with the use of Palestinian land and changing the situation on the ground. It also noted that the order does not formally provide for the transfer of ownership and concerns only trees and vegetation, but that this does not lessen the potential harm to owners and to the agricultural character of the areas.