RAMALLAH, (PIC)
On a hill overlooking the plains of Turmus Ayya town, northeast of Ramallah, Palestinian Nidal Walid Rabee stands, staring at his land that he is no longer able to reach, after it was besieged by settlement and occupation restrictions, and settler attacks transformed it into an isolated land lot.
Rabee says, pointing his hand toward the distant olive groves, “This is my land, I see it every day, but I cannot reach it,” in a condensed summary of the transformation of the relationship with the land from daily living to forced monitoring from afar.
The story of Rabee goes beyond being a tale of a farmer who lost his source of livelihood, to become a narrative of a long connection to the land that began since childhood, when he accompanied his father and grandfather to the fields, passing through years of expatriation that lasted about 28 years in the United States, during which his connection to his land was not cut off, before returning twelve years ago to collide with a different reality.
He recalls that stage, saying, “I used to return three times a year, and I did not leave the land,” adding, “We used to go to the harvest after school.” This deep-rooted relationship pushed him after his return to specialize in “local seeds”, where he worked on collecting, preserving, and replanting them, maintaining traditional varieties of zucchini, Armenian cucumber, and tomatoes.
He says, “I became a reference in the region, and whoever wants local tomatoes comes to me from the north and south… this is the heritage of the ancestors that we will preserve,” explaining that he replants the same seeds for consecutive years to maintain their purity.
Losses in figures
However, this agricultural project received a harsh blow with the escalation of settler attacks during recent years, which directly affected his land. About 10 dunums of his land were bulldozed, and olive trees, some of which were more than 20 years old, were uprooted, which used to produce about 40 cans of oil annually, “but today they produce nothing,” as he says.
The losses do not stop at this point, as Rabee confirms that he is no longer able to reach about 30 dunums planted with olives, in addition to six other dunums planted with olives and grapes, while other areas of his land were burned, including about two dunums of olive trees.
Rabee estimates that what he lost or was prevented from reaching constitutes about 70% of his total land of 60 dunums, which reflected directly on his agricultural production, “I used to produce about 150 cans of oil annually, but last year I produced only 18.”
He also lost lands he used to plant with wheat, barley, and sesame, after reaching them became “impossible,” according to his description.
These losses come in the context of a wide escalation of settler attacks in the West Bank, which included bulldozing lands, uprooting trees, and carrying out attacks on Palestinian homes and properties, often under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, 1,819 attacks were recorded during last March, of which 1,322 were carried out by the Israeli occupation forces and 497 were carried out by settlers.
Agriculture as a symbol of steadfastness
However, Rabee insists on continuing agricultural work, as he rented alternative land to follow up on the cultivation of tomatoes, zucchini, and Armenian cucumber, from which he produces tons annually, and through which he provides job opportunities for others.
He says, “The land gives, but it needs someone to work in it and preserve it,” emphasizing the importance of agriculture in achieving self-sufficiency and steadfastness.
He is also keen to transfer this connection to his children and grandchildren, who accompany him to the land to learn agricultural work, and he shares with them the experience of selling through a “small stall”, to strengthen their connection to what he calls the “heritage of the ancestors.”
Despite holding American citizenship, Rabee confirms that he did not receive any protection from the attacks, noting that the US military attaché in Tel Aviv visited the area and saw the reality, and promised to facilitate his access to his land, “but until today nothing has happened.”
He points out that about 3,000 dunums in the area have become outside the control of their owners, in light of the escalating Israeli restrictions.
Since October 2023, the attacks of the occupation army and settlers in the West Bank have resulted in the martyrdom of at least 1,155 Palestinians, and the injury of about 11,750 others, along with the arrest of nearly 22,000, in the context of an unprecedented escalation affecting the land and humans together.
