Due to its border location on the armistice line, and the nature and topography of its lands that extend inland, the occupation has constantly targeted the lands of the border and wall village of Anin, northwest of the city of Jenin. During the Nakba of 1948, it devoured and confiscated large areas of its lands. Since the Nakba, the confiscation and looting operations have not stopped, and they continued after the construction of the racist separation wall, until vast areas planted with olives, which are considered a source of income and livelihood for its residents, became besieged behind the wall. During the past year, the occupation prevented the residents from picking olives, and with the beginning of the current olive season, hundreds of citizens are still waiting to be granted permits so that the season is not lost. In the midst of all this, the village is exposed to attacks and arbitrary practices, especially the siege that has raised unemployment rates, as the vast majority of its residents are farmers and workers.

The head of the village council, Mohammed Issa, expresses the residents’ ongoing concern over the daily arbitrary practices of the occupation against the residents of his village, whose population, according to the village council’s statistics, is 5,500 people. He considers his border and besieged village marginalized and deprived of support and many of its rights, despite the repeated appeals and demands, especially to support the workers affected by the war on Gaza.

The village of Anin is 17 km away from the city of Jenin. It is bordered to the north by the village of Taybeh, to the south by the Shaked settlement, to the west by the "Me'ame" settlement, and to the east by the village of Ta'anek and the apartheid wall that was built within its borders.

Speaking to Al-Quds, the head of the council, Mohammed Issa, explained that the Israeli ambitions for his village and its lands are old and date back to the beginning of the Nakba in 1948. Before that, its historical area was 47,000 dunams, and during the Nakba, the occupation rushed to steal and confiscate 30,000 dunams. He said, “These policies destroyed the lives and livelihood of the residents in the field of agriculture, due to the fertility of its lands and its strategic location. After the construction of the racist separation wall, the occupation did not stop its harassment and settlement plans that aim to gradually annex and confiscate the land.” He added, “The wall was a major disaster for the village, as it isolated 11,600 dunams of land planted with olive trees, and the occupation prevented farmers from accessing them except with official and specific permits and according to a destructive system. During the past year, farmers were deprived of picking olives and lost the season completely.”

At the same time, the people of Anin faced great suffering that affected all the farmers whose lands are located adjacent to the racist separation wall on the village side. Issa explained that agricultural lands with an area of 1,200 dunums are owned by their owners with fences and identification papers, and are closed and it is forbidden to approach or enter them because they are adjacent to the wall. Their owners have suffered heavy losses and no one has compensated them. He added, “The occupation completely monitors this area and practices arbitrary policies against herders and farmers, including persecution, detention, suppression and abuse. The occupation soldiers fired live bullets at the citizen Moatasem Fawaz Mustafa Issa years ago while he was tending the livestock on his land and he was martyred, as a threatening message to the citizens and farmers.”

An atmosphere of anxiety and fear has prevailed among farmers since the beginning of the current olive season, with the occupation not issuing permits that allow them to reach their lands and pick the olives. Issa says, “Coordination was made through the Palestinian liaison, in order to grant us permits for farmers to pick olives this year, and we are still waiting for a response and approval, knowing that our agricultural lands behind the wall are considered the food basket for the villagers.”

Gate 214..

After the completion of the construction of the apartheid wall within the village’s lands, the occupation installed a permanent military checkpoint known as Gate 214, which is a source of great suffering for farmers and owners of isolated lands. The soldiers control the lives and movements of farmers even though they have obtained permits. Issa says, “Entering and exiting through the gate is a disaster and a major and dangerous setback in light of the arbitrary practices of detaining citizens in long lines waiting for long hours in the summer and winter, amidst humiliation and inspection. Sometimes even permit holders are prevented from passing without reason. We are currently waiting for the gate to open so we can work inside and pick olives so that we do not lose the season.”

Arbitrary practices..

The head of the council stated that the occupation practices arbitrary policies to harass and oppress the residents, even within the village’s borders and areas far from the wall. The most dangerous of these, he explained, is the method of confiscating homes and turning them into military barracks and imposing coercive measures on their residents without knowing the reasons. He said, “Recently and until today, the occupation has been storming the village, raiding and occupying homes and turning them into mobile military barracks. For a week now, soldiers have been moving from one house to another without taking into account the people’s living conditions.” He added, “The occupation controls the targeted house and deals with its residents in inhumane ways, then expels them and forces them to leave until the end of the operation and the evacuation of the barracks, which causes them terrible suffering, especially since the targeted families have no other shelter.” He continued, “The continued presence of the barracks without knowing the reasons and the expulsion of its residents, and the night raids accompanied by gunfire, have turned into terrifying nightmares for the residents.”

Wild pigs..

The people of Anin complained about the occupation releasing wild pigs from the gate of the wall into their village, which poses a threat to the lives of the villagers. Issa explains that the pigs attack and destroy agricultural crops, causing farmers huge losses, and causing fear and panic among the citizens, especially children, who live under a curfew and are prevented from leaving their homes all night long for fear of the wild pigs that are spreading widely and all attempts to eliminate them have failed.

Unemployment and suffering..

The occupation's policies against land and agriculture have pushed many citizens to turn to labor, especially inside the country. They have lost their jobs due to the restrictions and siege imposed by the occupation after the war on Gaza. Issa believes that the labor sector is a marginalized and destroyed group since the war. The majority of citizens in the village of Anin were working continuously inside the country, but after the war they became unemployed and unable to support their families and have no other source of income. He added, "We have demanded and are demanding that the Palestinian government and all ministries and institutions pay attention to the workers of our village and stand by them, support them, and provide projects to protect them from poverty, destitution, and unemployment."

Issa said that his village is marginalized and does not receive support or projects. It needs programs and plans like those implemented by the government in the border and wall areas to advance, develop, and strengthen the people’s steadfastness. The village also needs a project to rehabilitate the main street and the village entrance to relieve the suffering of the citizens.

Other pictures..

Issa stated that the occupation restricts the movement of construction and urban expansion in the village, and prevents construction, especially in the lands located opposite the settlement and the racist separation wall, indicating that the harassment of citizens is multiple and continuous, including the confiscation of agricultural equipment, pagers and construction tools, because they completely prevent construction in several areas, and the goal, as he says, is "to displace people and turn their lives into suffering to expel them and facilitate the confiscation of our lands." He added, "We demand that President Abu Mazen issue his instructions to all relevant ministries to include our marginalized and afflicted village within their priorities and plans, and to support it with important and vital projects to thwart the occupation's plans, as we are steadfast and steadfast and we are resisting alone and everyone must support us in every way."