Region | Palestinian Territories
Palestine's plant life under threat
The Israeli-Palestinian struggle did not just take control over the land and the people but extended to include the plants the Palestinian mountains are famous for.
- By Khalil Al Assali, Correspondent
- Published: 01:07 October 27, 2007
- Palestinian villagers gather olives from their trees in the West Bank village of Zbouba near Jenin.
- Image Credit: AP
Occupied Jerusalem: The Israeli-Palestinian struggle did not just take control over the land and the people but extended to include the plants the Palestinian mountains are famous for.
"A number of rare plants have disappeared and died due to the colony buildings in the West Bank, the bypass roads, the apartheid wall and the waste products of colonies dumped in the wells," Banan Al Shaikh one of the few wild plant experts in Palestine, told Gulf News.
"The land of the West Bank embraces 1,600 kinds of wild plants; among these are 400 rare plants that exist in only two or three areas of Palestine whereas the rest are becoming extinct," added Al Shaikh.
Extinction
He mentioned plants in Faqua near Jenin and in Yasid near Nablus are on the road to extinction. Moreover, there are risks that a rare plant named Horse's Tail found in Wadi Qana between Nablus and Qalqilyia will become extinct due to the the water's saltiness because of Israel hoarding water in that area.
Israel's war does not just include the destruction of wild plants; it also extends to the placement of Hebrew names on them.
"Most plant experts in Israel live in the colonies of the West Bank; they seek to name plants with Israeli names or names from the Old Testament. The word Yahuda is added to plants that exist to the south of the West Bank, Al Samira is added to those in the north, and Israel to those of the areas of the 1984 Arabs. For example, the Arum plant becomes Israel Arum in Tel Aviv," says Al Shaikh.
"There is a serious risk that threatens plants in Palestine whether they are wild or not. They are estimated to be about 2,700 botanical types, and it is worth mentioning that Palestine is considered one of the most important natural areas in the world that embraces botanical and animal diversity," said the Chairman of Natural Resources in the Ministry of Agriculture, Thaer Al Rabi.
"There are about 300 to 400 types that have become extinct whereas another 100 are threatened with extinction," added Al Rabi. He also mentioned that all that is due to many reasons such as the existence of colonies and Israeli military camps in forest areas which threatens plant and animal life.
The colony excavation work is in itself destructive to the Palestinian environment. When excavation work is conducted, many of these plants are destroyed in high areas; these areas are targeted for colonies and are utilised as military points for the Israeli army.
Stolen
As an example, there is a rare kind of fern that is not found anywhere in the world except on Jarzim Mountain in the Bab Al Hawa area in Kufr Kalil in southern Nablus, where currently an Israeli military point has been established known as Tel Al Motoho.
In many instances, the plants are stolen and marketed as being from Israel, just as other Palestinian cultural artifacts and food such as the embroidered dress, falafel, maqluba and musakhan.
Such Palestinian cultural artifacts and food are being commercially marketed worldwide under false pretences as being part of the Jewish heritage in Palestine.
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