Israel orders removal of vegetation, trees from 340 dunams of Palestinian land

The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission on Tuesday announced that Israeli authorities had issued three separate military orders to clear wild vegetation and uproot trees from approximately 339 dunams (83.8 acres) of privately owned Palestinian land located in the northern and central West Bank, according to a statement released by the commission. The directive covers agricultural areas in Jenin and Qabatiya in the northern West Bank as well as Beit Rima in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate, with the commission warning that the measures employ a security designation to facilitate rapid land clearance.

One order targets 178.71 dunams (44.2 acres) in Jenin and Qabatiya and mandates the removal of olive trees and wild growth, while a second order covers an additional 128.77 dunams (31.8 acres) in the same districts. A third military order focuses on two distinct areas in Beit Rima totaling 31.538 dunams (7.8 acres), with approximately 10 dunams overlapping with land classified as Area B under the Oslo Accords. Under the 1995 Oslo II agreement, Area B falls under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control, while Area C — comprising roughly 60 percent of the West Bank — remains under full Israeli military administration.

Deadlines prevent effective legal challenges

The commission criticized the compressed timeline for objections, stating that landowners receive minimal opportunity to contest the measures before execution. "The order gives landowners seven days to file objections, but the period begins after the measure is implemented rather than beforehand," the commission said. A separate directive imposes a 12-hour window for the removal of vegetation and olive trees, further constraining the ability of Palestinian farmers to respond.

"The order also limits the period for filing objections to 12 hours after the tour," the commission added. "The short deadlines, particularly the 12-hour period, significantly limit landowners' ability to object before damage occurs." The body emphasized that the danger extends beyond the physical area affected, noting that the classification of the clearance as a security measure allows for rapid alterations to the landscape without standard procedural safeguards.

Clearance coincides with olive harvest season

The military orders arrive as Palestinian farmers prepare for the annual olive harvest, which typically commences after mid-October and represents a critical economic and cultural period for rural communities. "The danger posed by the orders extends beyond the size of the targeted areas to the nature of the measures, which allow rapid changes to the land and the removal of vegetation and trees under a 'security' designation," the commission stated. "Maps attached to the orders show that contiguous blocks of agricultural land are being targeted," the commission added.

The body called for immediate field monitoring to determine the exact number of trees slated for destruction and to identify specific properties falling within the designated boundaries. Last month, Israeli forces issued similar military orders to clear approximately 310 dunams (76.6 acres) in Jenin governorate, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. Since October 2023, the Israeli military and settlers have intensified operations across the occupied West Bank, including home demolitions, arbitrary arrests, and the bulldozing of agricultural terrain alongside illegal settlement expansion.