Word has reached me of the recent destruction of many, many fruit trees at the Tent of Nations, the Nassar family farm near Bethlehem. Our traveling group visited Daher Nassar at the Tent of Nations in February, and it was a highlight of our tour.
Friends of Tent of Nations North America has provided information and updates from the Nassar family and their legal team. They plan to post an update tonight with any actions requested. This is the published ALERT.
For background on the recent demolitions, see Ben White's article
"Israeli forces destroyed an estimated 1,500 fruit trees belonging to the Tent of Nations farm outside Nahalin village, in the Bethlehem region of the occupied West Bank yesterday morning.
"Owned by the Nassar family, the farm lies just below Neve Daniel, an Israeli settlement, located in “the Gush Etzion bloc”. The property has long been targeted by Israeli occupation authorities seeking to confiscate the land and remove an obstacle to settlement expansion.
"According to the family, soldiers arrived at their land early in the morning, and in a couple of hours uprooted some 1,500 apricot and apple trees, burying them under piles of soil." Read the full article at Electronic Intifada.
Friends of Tent of Nations is preparing a comprehensive update which they will post on their website tonight. Click here for that update.
The Tent of Nations Facebook page has photos and timely updates.
The destruction at Tent of Nations comes in the context of Israeli policies of land confiscation and displacement in the West Bank, and the control of Palestinian agricultural production. For more information on the impact of these policies, IFPB recommends the following resources:
• UN-OCHA Monthly Humanitarian Bulletins
• Farming Injustice briefing from the BDS National Committee.
For more background, see this World Council of Churches feature story.
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