By NNN-WAFA,
Nablus : Palestinian farmers were prevented by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) from harvesting olives in the village of Tell, near Nablus, on Sunday.
About 20 farmers were able to harvest olives for two hours before the arrival of IOF, who ordered them to cease the harvesting and leave their lands immediately.
International activists accompanying the farmers called the Nablus District Coordination Office (DCO) to inform the office of the police’s illegal actions, but were rebutted by an officer saying “I don’t understand and I don’t care”, before hanging up.
The IOF intervened, ordering the farmers and internationals to leave, and informing them that the area was now a “closed military zone.”
However, with no threat apparent to the security of colonizers or IOF, the order constitutes a clear violation of the law. In addition, forcing farmers to abandon their harvest is also illegal, as declared by the Israeli High Court.
The IOF also refused to show the map that marked the area as a “closed military zone” until all farmers and internationals had vacated the area, following which the unit commander produced a map with a red circle around the whole area—another violation of Israeli law, which stipulates that the restricted area must not exceed the minimal amount of territory needed to provide protection to Jewish colonizers.