Ramallah: Israeli colonists have planted grapes on large areas of privately owned Palestinian land in the Al Qa’adat area near Nablus, after seizing both the land and a nearby Palestinian-owned water well.
The colonists’ main aim seems to have been to take over the Al Sha’arah well which belongs to the village of Madama, south of Nablus, according to Gassan Doghlous, the Palestinian official who oversees Israeli colonial activities in the northern areas of the West Bank.
“After blocking all access to the well by the villagers, the Israelis started planting grapes all around it, using whatever was necessary to get the job done in the shortest possible time,” Doghlous told Gulf News. “The colonists then claimed that all the land and the water well belonged to them, and warned the genuine owners not to even approach the area.”
The villagers from Madama believe that the colonists will use the seized land to plant certain varieties of grapes for the production of wine.
“The Al Sha’arah water well was Madama’s only source of drinking water, but the colonists initially polluted it with dirt and garbage intentionally,” said Tala’at Ziadi, who heads Madama’s Village Council.
The second step in the process was for the colonists, with the help of the Israeli occupation authorities, to prevent the villagers from accessing the well, and to install pipes to divert the water.
“We have documented the theft, and human rights organisations have recommended that we sue the colonists,” Ziadi said. “The villagers have chosen not to do so, as they believe that the ownership of the well has never been in dispute, and the Israeli courts will not rule in the colonists’ favour.”
The Council intends to do whatever it takes to recover the seized land and the well.
The residents of Madama will soon be organising protests, strikes and other activities to highlight to the world the aggression and violence of the Israeli colonists.
