Mon 18.10.10, Morning

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Observers: 
Micky Fisher, Miriam Shayish (reporting); Translator: Charles K.
Oct-18-2010
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Morning

Mas’ha – 9:30, Municipal building.  About ten people and the local council head are present.
General information: 440 applications were submitted for the olive harvest; 107 were granted.  Last year 250 were granted.
The applications referred to three gatesinfo-icon.  All those approved were for the northern gate.
1.    North Mas’ha 134 - מה זה 134? מספר השער?  240 applications, 107 approvals
2.    Hani gate – 100 applications, none approved.  The gate didn’t open at all.
3.    Bir Shelly gate – 100 applications, none approved.

Following their complaints and requests during the week to open the Hani gate, because it’s the closest one to their fields and they can’t walk 7 km. back and forth, they were told by Tedesa, from the DCO, that the Palestinian Liaison Office hadn’t requested that the gate be opened.  It’s not clear, but the Palestinian DCO also doesn’t operate as it should.  An additional request was submitted to the Israeli DCO via the Palestinian Liaison Office and they were promised that the gate would open but last week the computer wasn’t working; as of today, and until today, even though they were told that applications to cross through this gate were approved, the permits hadn’t arrived.
They say this gate (next to Elkana) opened last year at the end of November, which was too late.
Some of the olives on trees in the area weren’t harvested, others were harvested surreptitiously, and still others were picked by people holding permits but the person who owns the land doesn’t get a cent.
There are complaints about thefts of olives by settlers or Arabs from villages in the Triangle.  Sometimes tractors aren’t allowed to cross because it’s claimed they don’t have a permit.  It depends on the soldiers manning the checkpoint, and then the farmer has to leave the fruit where it is, and it sometimes isn’t there any more when they return the next day.
About ten of the complainants gave us details of their applications, photocopies of their ID cards, size of their plots, the relevant gate, who has permits and which family members didn’t receive them, what was the situation last year, telephone number.

Examples of complaints:
1.    Hassan Ahmad 'Amer, ID No. 983985533, and his brothers Hassin, 'Asam, Mahmud, Samir and Munir:  His father and uncle jointly inherited from his grandfather 48 dunums.  The land was registered in the uncle’s name, but an agreement between them signed in the Sharia court specified that half belongs to his father and the father’s sons.  His father is 87 and can’t get to the land, and the uncle is even older.  For the past three years the DCO has refused to recognize the permit or give a permit to any of the brothers.  They’re forced to lease the land to others to harvest the olives, leaving only half the proceeds in their hands.  The problem is even worse because they can’t work the land the rest of the year to maintain it and the trees, including plowing and pruning that has to be done now, and spraying and weeding during the year.
His brother, Ibrahim 'Amer, who has a different mother, did receive a permit, but often his tractor isn’t allowed through without a special permit.  Last week he received a permit for the tractor.
We spoke to Bahajat, who’s in charge of liaison between the Israeli DCO and the Palestinian Liaison Office.  He told us that the soldiers have been told to allow all tractors through, and that a permit isn’t necessary.  He says this complaint is new and they’ll remind the soldiers again.
2.    Salah Muhammad Othman 'Amer , ID No. 956715239:  The family had 90 dunums, but after the fence was built they were left with only 35, registered in his father’s name, of which 25 belong to him according to a division within the family.  He submitted an application for himself and his wife and sons two months ago, but still hasn’t received any reply.  They didn’t go to their land during the past two years, but leased it, so they receive only half the proceeds from the crop, and the rest goes to pay those who do the picking.  Nor can they engage in the other work necessary during the year to maintain the land and the trees.

Az-Zawiya – 11:00  Muncipal building.  About five people present, and the deputy head of the local council.
Two gates didn’t open this year – the large Wadi Shami gate and the small gate.  Only the Magen David 620 gate is open, and some people have permits to reach their lands via Azzun Atma.
500 applications were submitted, 250 were approved for this season, compared to last year when 500 permits were received.
There are about 20-30 long-term permits, good for one or two years.
The complaints are similar to those from Mas’ha about thefts of the crop – they don’t know who’s doing it.

Examples of complaints:
1.  Yasser Abu Kaha tells about an area of some 8 dunums on the other side of the security fence, but surrounded by a barbed wire fence whose small gate is always closed, which is absurd because his permit allows him only to reach it through the large gate.  Six or seven other farmers have a total of 150 dunums of olive groves that still haven’t been harvested.  They don’t dare to cross the fence because they’ll be caught and lose their permits, and could also be mortally injured by the fence.
One farmer who dared go through the barbed wire was able to fill about ten sacks and left them on the ground.  He came back and found they’d been stolen.
We talked to Bahajat on Wednesday, 20.10.  He said he hadn’t heard that complaint and wanted to see where it was.  We gave his phone number to Yasser, who’s supposed to call and show him the plot so they’ll open it up.
We drove to look at it, and happened to learn that a new order had been issued, that wasn’t in force last year, that on Fridays and Saturdays, which are the days that people are off from work, a number of gates will be closed including those near Ariel and the Magen David gate.  We saw the order and have a copy of it.
Bahajat told us the arrangement had been coordinated with the Palestinian Liason Office.  He said the Palestinians had already finished harvesting the olives, and they’re just ברחנים  [מה זה "ברחנים"?] .  When we told him that he can’t just say that without proof, and can’t refer that way to an entire population, he repeated that the Palestinians had finished harvesting olives, and on 21.10 only 4 people crossed through the fence.

2.  Yusuf Abdullah Ahmad Mazalah and his brother jointly own 15 dunums.  His two brothers received permits but he hasn’t yet received a response, and only his 18 year old daughter received a permit but she can’t go without the members of her family.  He’s afraid he won’t be able to pick the olives this year and will only receive half the proceeds from the oil, because he’ll have to give the rest to his brother.

It seems that, although the harvest is very good this year (or perhaps because of that fact), the number of permits has been reduced, the number of work days has been reduced, the crop can’t be transported freely – the despair is no longer painful…