- ‘Every piece of land has become surrounded by a wall, a road or a settlement. Reaching the land has become a very difficult task,’ says farmer Jalal al-Khafsh
On the outskirts of Marda, a village north of Salfit in the occupied West Bank, Israeli bulldozers continue to uproot olive trees, as part of accelerating settlement projects that Palestinians say threaten what remains of their land and turn their village into “a large prison.”
The small Palestinian village lies in a valley overlooked by the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel, one of the largest settlement blocs in the northern West Bank, which has expanded over the past decades at the expense of land belonging to nearby villages.
In recent weeks, the area around the village has seen extensive bulldozing and the uprooting of hundreds of olive trees to expand a settlement road known as the “Trans-Samaria” highway, raising residents’ fears that they will lose more farmland and face tighter restrictions on access to it.
“The village has faced continuous land confiscations for years, but what is happening now represents a new stage of settlement expansion,” Marda local council chief Sadiq al-Khafsh told Anadolu.
“Marda is facing a fierce campaign of bulldozing and settlement activity, with trees being uprooted and land being razed continuously, alongside a siege and strict closures at the village entrances,” he said.
Israeli forces almost permanently close the village’s western entrance, while imposing movement restrictions through its eastern entrance, making it more difficult for residents to move, Khafsh said.
Large prison
The village’s land covers about 9,500 dunams (9.5 sq km), of which nearly 4,500 dunams (4.5 sq km) have been confiscated for the Ariel settlement, in addition to about 700 dunams (0.7 sq km) for the “Trans-Samaria” highway, the Palestinian official said.
“About two-thirds of the village’s land has been confiscated or is now within areas designated for settlements, bypass roads and related infrastructure, which has deprived farmers of large parts of their land and tightened the pressure on residents,” Khafsh said.
“The built-up area currently available to residents does not exceed about 700 dunams, while Israeli authorities prevent any construction expansion beyond that area on the grounds that the land is classified as Area C,” he added.
Khafsh described the village as having become “a large prison,” saying the closure of its entrances prevents easy access to neighboring villages and cities.
“When the Israeli occupation closes the eastern and western entrances, the village becomes completely isolated, and residents are left with no outlet for movement,” he said.
“The effects of the settlement project are not limited to land confiscation, but also include the uprooting of olive trees that serve as a main source of income for dozens of families in the village,” Khafsh said.
‘Our land is our identity’
On one plot of land next to the bulldozing work, farmer Jalal al-Khafsh stood looking at what remained of the olive trees, some of which had survived the bulldozers.
“The farmers’ suffering in Marda worsens year after year because of illegal settlements, bypass roads, the separation wall and restrictions on access to land,” he told Anadolu.
“Every piece of land has become surrounded by a wall, a road or a settlement. Reaching the land has become a very difficult task,” the farmer said.
He said about 15 dunams of his land have been directly affected by the ongoing Israeli project, including areas planted with olive trees.
“More than 120 olive trees have been uprooted in the area recently. These trees are older than the occupation itself, yet they are uprooted in a few hours under army protection,” he said.
“Farmers now face growing difficulties reaching their land because it is surrounded by settlements, bypass roads and the separation wall,” he added.
Jalal said farmers used to reach their land easily in the past.
“Today, it has become besieged from every direction, and some farmers need hours to reach their land, if they are allowed to do so at all,” he said.
“They uproot the trees, and we plant others. This land is not just a source of livelihood for us. It is history, identity and dignity,” he added.
Occupier attacks
The Israeli government allocated in May more than 1 billion shekels ($270 million) for new settlement roads in the occupied West Bank.
According to the daily Haaretz, the projects aim to strengthen links between illegal settlements and develop their infrastructure, allowing them to expand and absorb more occupiers.
Palestinians say the roads do not only serve Israeli occupiers, but also lead to the confiscation of more agricultural land and isolate Palestinian communities from one another.
As digging and tree uprooting continue on the outskirts of the village, residents watch with concern as the farmland tied to their memories and livelihoods shrinks year after year, while restrictions on their daily lives and movement increase in one of the West Bank areas most exposed to settlement expansion.
The West Bank has seen an escalation in occupier attacks on Palestinian villages, including setting fire to property, assaulting residents, vandalizing and demolishing structures, bulldozing agricultural land and preventing farmers from reaching it, especially in areas near illegal settlements and outposts.
About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 141 settlements and 224 outposts in the West Bank, including 250,000 in occupied East Jerusalem.
Attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers have killed at least 1,169 Palestinians, wounded 12,666 others, arrested about 23,000 and displaced 33,000 since October 2023, according to official Palestinian figures.
*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul
