Israel orders removal of almond trees and wild vegetation from land in Hebron

Israeli authorities have issued a military order requiring the removal of almond trees and wild vegetation from 37.8 acres of land in the towns of Dura and Tarqumiya in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, a Palestinian commission said Thursday. The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said the order was signed by the commander of the Israeli forces on Oct. 28. The order targets several locations in Dura, including Tars, Wadi Khuzem, Khirbet Deir Samit, Khirbet Sabr, Jabal al-Saadi and Khirbet al-Deir, as well as land in Tarqumiya.

Under the order, landowners or those managing the properties are required to remove the trees and vegetation within seven days of a field inspection scheduled by the Israeli liaison authority. The order also allows parties authorized by the military commander to carry out the removal if landowners fail to comply. Landowners have up to seven days from the date of the field inspection to file objections, the commission said. The commission warned of the agricultural, environmental and economic consequences of the measure, saying the removal of almond trees and vegetation along a stretch exceeding 7.5 kilometers (4.66 miles) would damage the productive and ecological value of the land and undermine farmers' livelihoods and ties to their land.

It said invoking "security measures" to justify such actions amounted to an instrument for intervening in the use of Palestinian land and imposing changes on the ground. Although the military order does not provide for the transfer of land ownership and specifically concerns the removal of trees and vegetation, the commission said this did not diminish the potential damage to landowners or the agricultural character of the affected areas.