APN | Qatanna – Jerusalem

January 2024

Heading northwest of Jerusalem, APN's team journeyed along a rugged road to reach an orchard in the village of Qatanna, where they planted 200 fruit trees with the support of Mr. Muhammad Mushtaha. These trees, along with others planned for planting in surrounding villages as part of a dedicated project, serve to protect the lands from Israel's exploitation of the old land law. They also establish a sustainable source of income and stand as a resistance to the impoverishment and displacement tactics employed by the occupation, aimed at emptying the area of its steadfast inhabitants who refuse to leave.

In January 2024, the team arrived in the village of Qatanna, a place targeted by the occupation. This village, encompassing an area of 9,000 dunums, has seen approximately 55% of its land annexed, with the apartheid wall alone encroaching upon 1,500 dunums. The occupation severely restricts the lives of its 7,500 inhabitants, confining housing, agriculture, and grazing to a mere 2,500 dunums. The conditions are akin to living in a small-scale prison, with an unemployment rate hovering around 70%.

The resilience displayed by the people of Qatanna is a source of pride, as their steadfast refusal to succumb to the occupation's enticements to leave embodies their inherent strength. Despite the occupation's imposition of arbitrary measures solely serving its interests, the village and its inhabitants endure. In close proximity, amidst the challenging circumstances faced by the people, lies the “Har Adar" settlement, situated on confiscated Palestinian lands. Regarded as one of the most affluent settlements within the Zionist entity, according to numerous surveys and studies on living standards in "Israel," settlers there enjoy luxurious amenities and picturesque sceneries, while Palestinian residents contend with rugged terrain and the constant threat of land loss in Area C if they are unable to cultivate it.