In caves or tents and houses made of tin, the Palestinian citizens live in Farasin village, southwest of Jenin, in defiance of the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) that prevents them from building in their village and on their land with the aim of displacing them and expand the nearby settlements.
In early August 2020, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) handed over 36 demolition notices to all the facilities and homes in the village.
IOF also intensified raids into the villagers’ homes with the aim of terrorizing the inhabitants in addition to launching a series of repressive measures such as blocking construction, the supply of water and electricity sources to the village and the establishment of basic infrastructures such as streets and health and educational institutions. The IOF also banned the reclamation of agricultural lands through confiscating equipment and machinery, harassing workers, and arresting them.
IOF is trying to empty the village and control it due to its strategic location. Farasin is located around two Jewish settlements, which are isolated from the settlement bloc established in the west of Jenin, by the village lands. Therefore, the IOF seeks to displace the residents of Farasin village and destroy it to link these two settlements with the settlement bloc.
This comes in the context of the annexation process to prevent the evacuation of any isolated settlement and it will also lead to separating Tulkarem completely from Jenin. This is the policy adopted by the IOA to create isolated Palestinian cantons in the West Bank while strengthening the geographical contiguity of the settlement blocs.
Recently, the IOF soldiers demolished the doors and contents of Yusef Amarneh’s house in Khirbet Farasin without any prior warning.
Amarneh was surprised when a group of IOF soldiers stormed his house, destroying all facilities of the house, such as the kitchen, water tanks, electricity and sanitary appliances.
He pointed out that the IOF soldiers took away the doors and windows, broke everything in front of them, and stole water tanks, describing what happened in the house as total destruction.
Amarneh confirmed that the IOA continues to harass families in Farasin. The inhabitants receive daily threats of displacement from the area but this is the first time that IOF suddenly raided his house and destroyed its contents without any warning.
He explained that the attacks and practices of IOF in Farasin are aimed at displacing the citizens and emptying the village to facilitate its seizure in favor of expanding nearby settlements.
The Oslo Accords classified all Farasin lands within Area C which placed them under the full control of the IOA.
After the establishment of an outpost near the Halamish settlement, the suffering of Farasin’s people doubled. A small reconnaissance plane hovered over their heads whenever someone built a tin house or worked to reclaim his agricultural land. Soon afterwards the so-called Israeli Civil Administration teams backed by IOF troops and bulldozers carry out demolition works in the place and warn citizens against any new construction and land reclamation.
Farasin dates back to hundreds of years, as it was part of a trade line that passed through the village of Umm al-Rayhan, then the village of Zebda and Khirbet Farasin, passing through the Palestinian south reaching to Egypt.
Its land area is 6,672 dunums and it is surrounded by the lands of Zebda, Yabad, Waqfin, Al-Nazla Al-Sharqiya, Al-Nazla Al-Wusta, Nazlet Abu Nar villages. It is about 200 meters above sea level and its population is approximately 200.
Source: PIC
