 |
| Bulldozer israeliano |
“Chi semina buon grano, ha poi buon pane”, recita il proverbio. Ma per avere un buon pane, cioè un buon raccolto, è necessario prima di tutto poter accedere alla propria terra, è necessario che le forze di occupazione non lo impediscano sparandoti contro. È necessario poter irrigare, è necessario che l'esercito israeliano non bombardi il pozzo che usi per raccogliere l'acqua. È necessario, inoltre, che non arrivino bulldozer, scortati da carri armati, a distruggere quanto è stato seminato.
Jaber is thin and not very tall, has a tanned complexion, prominent cheekbones and calloused hands. He talks little, Jaber is patient, but also very determined. He comes from a farming family, has 45 years, and since he was six he helped his father to take care of almond trees. The land is cultivated between 300 and 500 meters from the border, and works in the uncertainty of being able to see the fruits of his land. Five years ago, the occupation forces set fire to his field of corn at harvest, sending smoke in the work and investments of one year. Firefighters were unable to arrive on time, because, due to the proximity of the field to no-go areas declared unilaterally by the occupation forces, requiring coordination with the Israeli army, and this coordination has not arrived. About a year ago, the bulldozers have destroyed most of his home, which was located about 400 meters from the border, the small farm of chickens, 40 dunams of wheat, 3 dunams of olive trees, and 3 dunams of vegetables. He says that if it was not released in time from his home with his family would have demolished them inside. Today Jaber grow onions in the ground where his old home.
Israel unilaterally declared "no-go zone" the strip of land that runs close the border to a distance of 300 meters. This area is completely inaccessible for Palestinians, even those who had their lands and crops. But according to a UN report says the area where access is "high risk" comes up to a kilometer and a half, sometimes two miles from the border. 35% of the arable land of Gaza are in this area as "high risk", and for farmers it is difficult or impossible to collect fruits from their land in this area. Israel's policy in this regard has every appearance of wanting to simply prevent farmers from cultivating their land, and to be able to reach some form of food self-sufficiency.
Always Jaber said: "Before we grew almonds, then Israel began to fill up our markets for almonds, by artificially calarne price, so those who cultivated the almond crop was converted into something else, then withdrew their almonds and the price is increased again, but we had no more almonds. The same thing happened with oranges. During the first intifada, closing the borders have prevented us from exporting vegetables, and at the same time, have prevented the fertilizer to enter ... and then things got worse and worse. "
 | ||
| Area north, the wall is visible in the right background, the buildings are those of the Erez crossing | |
Ibrahim lives in Khuza 'To the south of the strip. His house was destroyed during the war, and can not access the land they cultivate. He has a tractor to plow, but even with this there is little work, because where he lives most of the arable land is a few hundred meters from the border, and farmers without access. Yusef is also Khuza'a, and has two properties, one of 8 dunums and the other 24, both of them cultivated with wheat per fare il pane. Il terreno di 8 dunam non è più accessibile, si trova a 200 metri dal confine, mentre l'altro, a 300 mettri dal confine, non viene coltivato da 2 anni perchè quando prova a recarvisi le forze di occupazione iniziano a sparare.
Abu Taima, anch'egli al sud, racconta come all'inizio le forze di occupazione abbiano distrutto gli aranci, e poi non abbiano permesso la coltivazione nemmeno di grano ed altri vegetali, sebbene molto più bassi degli alberi. Nel 2008, nel 2009 e nel 2010 ha coltivato la sua terra, ma i bulldozer israeliani la hanno distrutta prima del raccolto. Sparano ai contadini che vanno a coltivare, e poi sradicano crops. They shoot and kill even the cattle and sheep to graze, the last sheep was killed just 700 meters from the border. The Zionist soldiers shoot when there is fog, without seeing clearly what hit. "I had 50 dunams of land, now they can no longer grow. There were ten people working for me, and each had a family of ten. Today, all these workers are unemployed, and depend on welfare programs or humanitarian assistance. "
The last farmer killed by Israel was 65 years old and his name Kharmoot Shaban, was shot Beit Hannoun, the north, with three bullets: one in the neck, one in the chest and one abdomen because he was cultivating his land as he had done over the past 40 years, and had no other alternative to support his family.
 |
| holes caused by bullets on the cloth of a greenhouse |
The numbers of land for at least one year and not have borne fruit due to contamination from used white phosphorus during the Israeli invasion "lead time" : leaves from trees destroyed, contaminated land that gave poisoned fruit. Are been so poisoned the groundwater, wells were bombed, and access to water has become one of the main problems of the peasants. In particular, in the El Kharrara a well located more than 2 km from the border and provides water for drinking and irrigation of 700 dunams of land on which they depend 5,000 people, was bombed in molten lead, and since only few families can afford the transport tanks to large amounts of water for irrigation, this has caused problems for agriculture very strong. The bullet holes in the sheets that make up the greenhouses have allowed the pests to enter, and because of the siege can not import illegal pesticides and fertilizers. In the Faraheen soldiers shooting at farmers and land mines left on preventing workers to cultivate it. Also in frequent incursions are only or mainly affected the plants ready to bear fruit, which required effort and money to reach maturity : for example is an olive tree of life left in three years and a six-rooted.
In a region already devastated by a siege which prevents the import of many essential goods, which creates poverty and unemployment in one of the most populated areas of the world, this explicit policy to attack farmers and agriculture in general is another crime that can be summed to the long list of which Israel is guilty. UNRWA, the UN refugee agency, provides for some families with food donations quarterly, but is extremely cynical provide care in cases where the occupation forces, against every international agreement to prevent a nation of cultivate his bread and providing the same support.
Saber says:
"He was calm and quiet area near the border, seven in the morning Friday. I went with my tractor from 300 to 350 meters from the border. I wanted to grow because it was all quiet: if I heard shots and I was afraid I would have never gone. When I reached my floor, they opened fire, they destroyed the tractor. The medical report says that this has caused me psychological problems and psychosomatic disorders: panic in the mental and physical tension, heart rate changed, and I started taking medication. It happened in December 2007. "
" Obviously knew I was a farmer! I was wearing work clothes, was driving a tractor. A tractor to plow, not a tank: do not recognize it when they see it, perhaps? They binoculars with which we can monitor dozens of miles away, I have recognized. They knew that I was a farmer, and the proof is that after an apology saying it was an accident. I can count the hairs of the beard, how could they not know that I am a farmer? No, I knew I was a farmer, and I got shot on purpose, because I am a farmer and did not want me to stay here in my country. "
 |
| Yusef, a farmer in Khuza'a |
0 comments:
Post a Comment