APN | Bayt Duqu – Jerusalem

January 2024

On the lands of several Jerusalem villages, including Bayt Duqu, the occupation built the “Giv'at Ze'ev” settlement in 1977. This settlement is named after Ze'ev Jabotinsky, a key figure in the founding of the Jewish National Fund and the Jewish Legion. He fought in World War I on Britain's side, with some attributing his influence as a significant factor in the issuance of the Balfour Declaration.

In 2023, the occupation sanctioned the most extensive settlement expansion initiative since 2012, comprising 559 new settlement units in "Giv’at Ze'ev". This expansion entails further confiscation in Bayt Duqu, a region already impacted by the apartheid wall. Additionally, the expansion isolated 350 dunums of the area's most fertile orchards, renowned for grape cultivation in particular.

The agricultural landscape of the village, where 80% of its residents engage in land cultivation and depend on its fertility, inspired APN to plant 1,240 trees, sponsored by Mr. Hamdi Idris and his family, across the lands of three farmers. One of the farmers expressed, "Regardless of the villagers' occupations, agriculture remains our primary endeavor. It involves safeguarding the village lands from encroaching settlements seeking to usurp them, and we regard these trees as our children."