SALFIT, October 13, 2011 (WAFA) – The Israeli authorities Thursday handed a number of Palestinian farmers demolition orders of several water wells and green houses and stopped construction work of rehabilitating an agricultural road in an area in Kufr Al-Deek, a town in Salfit, according to mayor of Kufr Al-Deek, Jamal Al-Deek.

One of the farmers, who was handed a demolition order, said that most of the farmers who received the demolition orders are the ones benefiting from a project recently implemented with the funding of the Dutch Government as part of the land rehabilitation projects in the area.

He added that the Israeli authorities also stopped the construction work of rehabilitating a ten year old agricultural road that will benefit large areas of land rehabilitated and planted with olive trees through the Dutch project.

The mayor said that,” The Israeli authorities and settlers are targeting this area, preventing residents and farmers from entering their land in order to displace them, aiming to seize the land for the benefit of settlements.”

He added that the Israeli authorities have recently demolished ten animal barns and tents belonging to Palestinian shepherds, who used to live in this targeted area and were prevented from living in it.

He stressed that Palestinians in this area are exerting all possible efforts to rehabilitate the remaining areas of uncultivated land, which constitutes 70% to 80% of the land of Kufr Al-Deek.

He called upon human rights institutions as well as legal and international organizations working in the PalestinianTterritory to pressure the Israeli side to stop these violations and attacks against Palestinians in Salfit, particularly in the town of Kufr Al-Deek.

To be noted, this area in Kufr Al-Deek, is a vast area of about 4000 acres, mostly planted with olive trees and contains archaeological sites of the ruins and the remains of ancient villages.

T.R./F.R.
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