Staff of the UAWC participates in picking olives in Al-Janya Village
Ramallah – Staff of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) helped farmers from Al-Janya village, about eight kilometers to the north of Ramallah, whose lands are located behind the “Talmon” colony, which is built on the village’s lands, in picking their olives. The participation was within “The Land is Ours” campaign launched by the Union with the beginning of the olive harvest season through the “Defending Our Rights” project, funded by the Norwegian People’s Aid.
The Union pointed out that the colonization and land confiscation are the village’s first challenges. For instance, farmers are facing daily suffering because of the continuous expansion of colonies, such as “Dolib” and “Talmon” colonies that constitute most of the village’s agricultural lands. It is worth mentioning that there is a bypass road runs through the village’s lands and encircles the southern and eastern sides of it.
The Union indicated that colonies are controlling more than 70% of the village’s lands. They are either confiscated for establishing colonies or a closed land adjacent to colonies. Thus, the village has been deprived of an important source of income which is agriculture.
Farmers said that the Israeli Authorities allow them to enter only in the olive harvest season and for specific days and hours. In addition, they have to be accompanied by an Israeli patrol for watching, apart from the colonizer’s attacks on farmers and their olives, mentioning that thousands of dunnams are threatened with confiscation.
However, farmers called the local and international agencies/actors to intervene to protect the area from the periodical expansion of colonies at the expense of farmers’ lands in the village, where “Talmon” colony by itself expands on three mountains surrounding the village.