'Azzun, Eliyahu Crossing, Falamiya, Kufr Jammal
Falamya
One of our meetings in towns and villages was with M. from Falamya; we wanted to see the new gate.
10:45 Eliyahu checkpoint. Traffic flows in both directions.
The army jeep at the entrance to ‘Azzun is parked on the left today. Four soldiers nearby.
11:00 ‘Azzun. We drop off parcels at Z.’s shop.
11:45 We stop at Z’s shop in Kafr Jamal. He offers to accompany us to Falamya.
11:45 Falamya. We meet M., who invites us to his home.
The route of the separation fence erected on lands belonging to Jayyus and Falamya, has negatively impacted the lives and incomes of 4,000 Palestinians, cut them off from their agricultural lands and severely undermined their rights. The route was designed to allow the settlements in the area to expand rather than for security needs.
As a result of a Supreme Court decision the fence was recently moved, 2,500 dunams were again included on the West Bank side. Access to them is unrestricted, but 6,000 dunams are still on the other side.
The former gate was open twelve hours a day and allowed people to access their lands and return to their villages. The new gate opens thrice a day (morning, afternoon and evening) for half an hour each time. That’s very hard on the farmers. Someone leaving in the morning for two hours of work can’t return home when he’s finished; he must wait a long time for the gate to open in the afternoon.
The relocation of the fence has made things much easier for our host, some of whose lands are now on his side. Formerly he had to ride to his land to irrigate it in the evening and remain there until morning when the gate opened. Now he rides a bicycle and returns home when he’s finished.
Olive harvest permits are supposed to arrive tomorrow (17.9) from Qalqilya.
Z. from Kafr Jamal says that the army issues olive harvest permits valid for only one week. He has land near Sla’it and Tsur.
We drive to see and photograph the new Falamya gate.
People have gathered at the shed near the electric pump. Representatives of Oxfam arrived with women from the village as part of their work to empower women (Oxfam is an international confederation of 15 organizations working in 98 countries to find sustainable solutions to problems and injustice. The ultimate goal of Oxfam’s activity is to allow people to exercise their rights and live their lives. Oxfam works directly with the affected communities and hopes to have a significant effect on the ability of the poor to improve their incomes and lives, and have their views heard by those making decisions affecting them).
The locals gather around us, describing the plague of wild boars which rest by day and are active at night. Every few months the “nature people” (the Israel Nature and Parks Authority?) arrive with a truck filled with wild boars, the army opens the gate and dozens of starving boars invade their fields and destroy the crops. Some of the females are pregnant; each bears a large litter. The damage is great. A catastrophe in cooperation with the army.
We refer them to Yesh Din and promise to follow up.
Our host tells us that when he went to irrigate his field yesterday a boar attacked him and he had to kill him with his hoe.
13:30 Eliyahu crossing. Traffic flows. Five cars are in the inspection area. We didn’t see dogs. We weren’t stopped for inspection despite our banner.
Habla. Everyone arriving goes through quickly.