Palestinian farmers rebuild what Israeli settlers destroy in West Bank | Israel-Palestine conflict News
Burin, Occupied West Bank – The sound of ringing phones has become a daily occurrence for Ghassan Najjar as the Israeli military conducts operations in Burin. Armored personnel carriers frequently navigate the village’s narrow streets, while soldiers systematically shutter local shops.
Najjar, a member of the Burin Land and Farming Cooperative, along with approximately 25 farmers, recognizes their inability to confront the Israeli military directly. Instead, they prioritize their agricultural activities and their deep-rooted connection to the land.
In addition to military raids, the cooperative faces increasing aggression from settlers, part of a broader trend of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Many of these settlers occupy outposts and settlements deemed illegal under international law, having been built on Palestinian land.
On July 13, a settler attempted to herd sheep into one of the cooperative’s five greenhouses. Members intervened to protect their crops until Israeli border police arrived. Najjar confronted the officers over the presence of the settler in what the military had designated as a closed military zone, where Israeli citizens are, in theory, also barred. The unsettled settler warned Najjar in Arabic, “You’ll see.”
The following evening, a group of roughly ten settlers vandalized all five greenhouses, tearing down plastic sheeting and damaging irrigation systems. The cooperative estimates the damage at approximately 30,000 shekels (about $10,000) for the plastic materials alone. Furthermore, tomato seedlings worth around 8,000 shekels ($2,670), purchased that same morning, perished within hours due to a lack of viable planting space.
This loss profoundly affects the cooperative, which consists of 25 families reliant on collective land, labor, and produce. “This year has been exceptionally challenging for the cooperative,” Najjar noted. “We are facing numerous attacks from both settlers and the military.”
In the weeks that followed, the cooperative lost more than 1,500 olive and other trees due to settler violence and military bulldozers. Some trees were burned, while others were uprooted along routes open to Israeli access but closed to Palestinians.
The cooperative’s wheat harvest also suffered significant setbacks, as 7,000 square meters (1.7 acres) of the 10,000 square meters (2.5 acres) planted were burned before the crop could be harvested. According to Najjar, much of the farmland in Burin is now designated as closed military zones, a status that is periodically renewed. While purportedly aimed at protecting locals from settler violence, these designations predominantly restrict access for Palestinian landowners.
This pattern of violence extends beyond Burin, with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reporting 1,418 settler attacks resulting in casualties or property damage across the West Bank through July. Authorities indicate the current pace may exceed last year’s record of 1,836 attacks. Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have criticized Israeli authorities for allegedly facilitating these attacks and noted their effects on Palestinian communities contribute to forced displacement.
In response to these challenges, Najjar and cooperative members have developed what they refer to as the “Tom and Jerry Programme.” “We go to the land early every morning,” he explained. “When the army arrives, we run away, and when they leave, we return.” He emphasized the importance of maintaining a presence, saying they even visit to socialize, reinforcing their connection to the land.
Building Towards Food Sovereignty
Najjar established the Land and Farming Cooperative in March 2020, shortly before COVID-19 lockdowns were implemented in the West Bank. What began with just five members has since grown to about 25, including 17 women, who collectively farm approximately 25,000 square meters (6 acres) in the region.
The cooperative aims to intertwine agricultural pursuits with broader social and political goals. “We’re not just growing vegetables; we’re addressing the economic and political realities intertwined with our situation,” Najjar stated.
He described the cooperative’s mission as a multi-faceted struggle: against the Israeli occupation, the bureaucratic challenges posed by the Palestinian Authority, and the overarching influence of capitalism and NGOs, which he claims come with restrictions.
Fifteen percent of all cooperative sales are reinvested in the village, funding programs for children and women. Initially, 20 of the most vulnerable families received free vegetables, but the cooperative has transitioned to guiding those families in cultivating small plots of land through a program designed to empower rather than enable dependency.
“This is true food sovereignty,” Najjar asserted. “People who don’t eat from what they’ve grown cannot attain real freedom.”
New members undergo six months of training that encompasses the political economy of occupation and practical agroecology, focusing on sustainable practices. The cooperative meets biweekly to plan their activities and conducts monthly evaluations to assess progress.
Much of the cooperative’s vision was conceived during Najjar’s time in an Israeli prison, where he spent nearly a year, including four months of isolation. He used that time to draft the cooperative’s procedures and objectives, and upon his release, he found that members had made significant strides in developing new greenhouses and cultivating additional land.
“The cooperative is not about any one individual,” he stated. “If something happens to me, the cooperative continues. It exists for the farmers, for Burin, and for everyone who believes in freedom and food sovereignty.”
‘We Prefer to Die on Our Land’
Najjar identified the July attack as the seventh incident of vandalism or destruction of the cooperative’s greenhouses. When asked what motivates members to rebuild after repeated assaults, he emphasized the importance of dignity.
“This is a conflict between evil and what is right. One must choose a side,” he said. “We have chosen to stand firm in the struggle for our land. Our dignity is tied to the land, and no one can live without dignity.”
As military zones have proliferated, Burin has seen the establishment or expansion of 13 new settlements in recent months. Najjar has observed a shift in local perceptions, with villagers moving from skepticism to respect regarding the cooperative’s efforts. He views their persistence as a form of triumph.
“The true occupation is not merely about establishing checkpoints and invading communities,” he explained. “It’s about occupying the mind. When you wake up every day and work your land, that represents real freedom.”
For now, this determination manifests in their morning trips to their fields and in the effort to rebuild what has been destroyed, while also constructing barriers they hope will mitigate future attacks.
“We prefer to die on our land rather than endure another Nakba,” Najjar declared. “We work together as a family, as comrades, striving for freedom.”
He concluded, “We’re not working solely for economic reasons or for ‘peace.’ I am focused on freedom. When you toil on the land, you experience a sense of freedom, even in the face of settler aggression.”
