Israel lifts Palestinian farmers' access to their lands behind separation wall

Some of the Palestine farmers had their farmlands on the wrong side of Israel's West Bank separation wall, who now suffer from restricted access to their lands with yearly tax. The farmers believe that this is a strategy of Israel to slowly creep away from their property. 

Farmers to seek permission

The wall of separation was constructed by Israel in 2000 to demarcate the land between West Bank and Israel as a mandatory response to the Second Intifada. The long barrier still stands still and is impacting the lives of Palestinians. It is getting difficult for farmers to manage their livelihood. A large part of the separation wall is constructed on the land occupied from the Palestinian farmers, due to which major section of their land is on the Isreali side. According to recent reports, there have been more strict restrictions to access the lands. The farmers have to seek permission from Israel’s Civil Administration in the West Bank to access their lands for farming. 

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More restrictions for Palestine farmers 

The report also mentions that the new rules include the number of times a farmer can travel through a wall checkpoint every year. The access will depend on the type of crop cultivated on the land. The officially announced trade restriction is 40 times a year for olives, 50 times for figs, 30 for barley, and 220 for tomatoes or strawberries.

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If the farmers have exhumed their limit then they will have to apply for a new permit to access their lands and get approval from the Isreali officials. However, the international media reported that Israeli officials generally do not respond to the request. The rate of rejection increased to 72 per cent in 2018 after the increase in entry permits. There are other factors that also add to the restrictive limitations which include the season. Several other practices like dividing the agricultural land among the family members and then not providing access due to their inappropriate size are seen as a part of Israeli policy to seize the land of Palestine farmers.

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