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Gaza Farmers…Ignored Victims of Pullout
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Palestinian farmers cannot reap ripe guava trees due to the Israeli closure.
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By
Mustafa el-Sawwaf, IOL Correspondent
GAZA,
August 24, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Israeli occupation forces are
withdrawing from the Gaza Strip with curses and bitter screeches from
the Palestinian farmers in Khan Yunis, not only for 38 years of
crippling occupation, but this time for failing to reap the guava
harvest and losing their main livelihood.
"This
season is a big loss," Hussein Al-Laham, a farmer in the fertile
Al-Mawasi area, in the southern Gaza Strip, told IslamOnline.net
Wednesday, August 24.
"The
guava trees smell good and ripe, alas, we are unable to reap it due to
the Israeli closure of all routes leading to the areas surrounding
Neve Dekalim settlement," the flashpoint Jewish outpost that was
evacuated from settlers last week as part of the Israeli Gaza pullout.
The
Israeli closure, which is expected to last for 45 days, made Al-Mawasi
off-limits to many Palestinian farmers.
"Though
they [the Israelis] have already evacuated Neve Dekalim, they are
reluctant to allow us in to make a living," Laham, who owns a
20-donum-farmland, added desperately.
Israeli
bulldozers have already devastated vast swathes of land in Al-Mawasi
area, which saw its overall space reduced from 2,650 donums to 1,150.
The
incessant Israeli aggressions over the past four years also slashed
the guava production from six tons to 3.5.
Heavy
Loss
Laham
hoped he would be able to make up for the heavy losses he sustained in
the years to come.
"In
the past year, I had hardly been able to market my guava production in
the local market, but things turned more worse this year as the
harvest coincided with the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip,
doubling the losses," he said.
He
urged the Palestinian Authority (PA) to compensate the Palestinian
farmers for their losses.
The
loss has also exacted a heavy toll on the already stagnant fruit
market.
"This
season’s loss has dwarfed other losses sustained by the guava
farmers in the course of the Intifada," said Esa Al-Astal, a
vegetables and fruit salesman.
"At
this time every year, we used to purchase hundreds of tons of
vegetables and fruit to sell them in the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank."
He
urged the PA to do something to ease the Israeli closure before it was
too late.
"No
doubt that we are happy with the pullout, but the Palestinian
officials should intervene to save dozens of families who have been
unfortunately victimized by the pullout."
The
Palestinian farmers incur losses of 30,000-50,000 shekels a day
($10,000) or six to ten tons of guavas due to the Israeli closure,
Haidar El-Laham, an official at the Palestinian agriculture ministry,
said.
"Palestinian
farmers’ losses hit a mind-boggling of 15 million shekels ($3.5
million) over the past year alone as they failed to market their crops
in the foreign markets," he said.
"Needless
to say that their losses have doubled this season because they are
even incapable to sell the hard-won production in the local
market."
The
official also warned of an environmental and agricultural disaster
that could devastate other crops and land fertility.
"Leaving
the guava crop un-harvested is a breeding ground for warms and fruit
pests," he said.
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