Villagers barred from their land in Tulkarem area

Monday March 05, 2007 19:16 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian woman, missed the opening time at one of the gates (Photo: EAPPI)

Residents of the West Bank village of Far’oun near Tulkarem said that they have not been able to enter their farmland since the Israeli army closed the gate in the annexation wall, known as Gate number 708, several months ago.

The farmers said that they have obtained the proper permits from the Israeli authorities, however, the gate has been closed since the end of the olive harvest in early December.

The farmer expressed concerns about their trees and vegetables as they are unable to reach them to manage the irrigation and to spray pesticides. This neglect may cause them to loose the produce of the whole year, which is the only source of income for all of them.

The villagers added that the Israeli army regularly patrols the area, and that sometimes they hold military training sessions near the farms, which endanger the lives of the local residents.

The gates that are installed in the wall are open three times per day. Israeli troops open them for 15 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon and 15 minutes in the evening.

Those who fail to arrive on time have either to wait until the gate opens next time or find another way in or out of their own land, which is almost impossible.

tulkarem | the wall | news report george at imemc dot org