On Tuesday the 11th, in the morning around 6 am,  The Israeli occupation forces have invaded the Tammun village in West Bank which is 5.5km down South of Tubas.

Two military jeeps, two military minibuses, two bulldozers, and  two Israeli civil administration vans were present and destroyed 240 olive trees along with 150 other miscellaneous trees and two water wells. The trees were seven years old.

Destroyed water well

Those water wells were made by the Palestinian owner of the land to collect the rainwater for watering trees and providing water for animals such as sheep and goats.

The land belongs to the Tammun Municipality and is owned by Jihad Bani Odeh and his brothers; Rashid Bani Odeh, Abdullah Yousif Bani Odeh, the residents of the village.

According to several witnesses, the Israeli occupation forces stormed into the area around 6 am and spent more than 6 hours there till 12:30 pm.

Bulldozers at work destroying olive trees

The soldiers closed down the roads to the area during the destruction of trees and wells, not allowing any villagers and owners of the land to reach the site.

It wasn’t the first time the soldiers broke into the region. Earlier in 2015,  Israeli army forces first came into the designated area to destroy the trees.

However since then Jihad Bani Odeh and his brothers, the owners of the land, have filed the legal documents of their ownership of the property to the Israeli high court, the case was kept pending for a few years, and a final ruling is expected this June, the 24th.

This invasion clearly shows that the Israeli occupation army forces do not comply even with Israel’s own law.

Tammun village has about 14000 Palestinian residents with over 2000 houses. 

The Israeli occupation force has been focusing on the confiscation of the region ever since 1967. because the whole Jordan Valley area is considered as a highly strategic area for the domination of the region’s water.

This kind of violation is not just of the law but of nature and humanity.