What You Need to Know
• Ghassan Najjar, a member of Burin’s Land and Farming Cooperative, faces daily Israeli military raids in Burin.
• Settlers attacked the cooperative’s greenhouses, causing damages estimated at 30,000 shekels (about $10,000).
• Burin lost over 1,500 olive and other trees due to settler violence and military bulldozers in recent weeks.
Ghassan Najjar, a member of Burin’s Land and Farming Cooperative, experiences frequent Israeli military incursions in Burin, where soldiers systematically close shops. The cooperative, consisting of about 25 families, focuses on agriculture as a means of resilience against military and settler aggression. On July 13, a settler attempted to graze livestock in one of their greenhouses, leading to further destruction the following night when approximately 10 settlers damaged all five greenhouses. The cooperative estimates losses of around 30,000 shekels (approximately $10,000) in plastic sheeting and 9,000 tomato seedlings worth 8,000 shekels ($2,670) that died due to the destruction. Additionally, Burin has lost over 1,500 trees, with some burned by settlers and others uprooted by military bulldozers.
Why It Matters
The situation in Burin highlights the ongoing tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank. Settler violence against Palestinians has escalated, often occurring in conjunction with military operations. International law considers Israeli settlements in occupied territories illegal, yet they continue to expand, impacting Palestinian livelihoods. The destruction of agricultural resources not only threatens the immediate economic stability of families like Najjar’s but also exacerbates the broader humanitarian crisis in the region.
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