APN | Bayt Lakia Liqya – Jerusalem

January 2024

A story of loyalty is written by the children of Hajj Abdel Hamid Abdel Hafez and the late Najia Al-Sayed, as they extend their support to APN by sponsoring the planting of 200 trees in their honor in Jerusalem, as part of the Million Tree Campaign in Palestine.

The villages and towns within the Jerusalem governorate hold a rich historical legacy marked by resilience, with lands that, if left unattended, risk being usurped by the occupation. Recognizing this, APN has allocated resources to plant 40,000 fruit trees in the villages surrounding Jerusalem for the 2024 agricultural season. Bayt Liqya, situated in the northwest, is part of this initiative, bearing its own tale of settler colonialism and encroachment upon its agricultural lands, which encompass over 51% of its territory. Notably, 90% of the village falls within Area C, subject to Zionist security control, with its remaining portion designated as closed military lands by the occupation during the "first wave" of settlement in the West Bank, spanning from 1967 to 1977.

Despite facing arbitrary measures imposed by the occupation, 17% of the villagers engage in agriculture, as obstacles such as restrictions on well drilling and land reclamation hinder their efforts. However, their greatest challenge arose with the construction of the apartheid wall, spanning 4.3 km on their land, which isolates approximately 2,155 dunums of the town's area. These isolated lands encompass agricultural areas crucial for the livelihoods of many families.