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Between 28 September 2000 and the beginning
of 2002, Israeli occupying forces destroyed over 15 million
square meters of agricultural land in the Gaza strip alone, or more than
10% of all available agricultural land. Land is razed often as a
form of collective punishment, or for the benefit of building or expanding
roads for settlements built on occupied land. Advance warning,
possibility for appeal, and compensation are all nearly always denied. Destruction of
agricultural land destroys the livelihoods of farmers and cripples the
Palestinian economy, which has already been brought to a virtual
standstill by the near-total closure and siege imposed on the OPT by
Israeli occupying forces. As a form of collective punishment, it is
expressly forbidden under the Fourth Geneva Convention and other
instruments of international humanitarian law. For more information about the razing of
agricultural land, see PCHR's regular
Land Sweeping Reports |
