In order to understand exactly what is going on there, we must rewind a few decades: The settlement of Ariel was established in the late 1970s on a long, narrow ridge that runs east and west. This topography gave the settlement its long and narrow sausage-like shape. Between 2004 and 2006, Israel constructed a perimeter fence around Ariel as part of the "Separation Wall" project initiated by the Sharon government during the peak of the Second Intifada in 2002. Although a large portion of the "Separation Wall" project remains incomplete to this day, Ariel is encircled by a substantial fence on three sides- north, east, and south - separating it from the rest of the West Bank. However, the settlement's western side remains open.
The fence that was constructed during those years did not follow the official boundaries of the settlement of Ariel, meaning to the lands that #Israel had officially expropriated from the surrounding Palestinian villages. Instead, the fence was built along a route determined by the Ministry of Defense and the army, designed to maximize the distance between Palestinians and the settlement. This is how hundreds of dunams of agricultural land were effectively annexed to the settlement of Ariel. Most of these lands belong to the residents of Salfit, located south of the settlement, while a smaller portion belong to the residents of the village of Iskaka located east of the settlement of #Ariel. In this way among others, “Ariel University” took control over the lands of the residents of Iskaka and converted them into parking lots for its students. A link to our previous post on this matter is in the comments.
In the West Bank, there is no such thing as a territorial vacuum. Any land that its rightful owners are prevented from accessing, whether due to official and “authorised” violence by the army (as in this case) or due to piracy violence initiated by settlers, will sooner or later become de facto annexed to the nearest settlement.
A few hundred meters southwest of the “University”, within the olive groves of Salfit residents, who are trapped between the settlement and the fence, you can find an “enduro trail” that has been broken out in recent years. A brief visit to the site reveals a rogue network of trails and jumps, some cutting through olive groves and others on land historically used for seasonal agriculture by Palestinians for generations, until the fence was constructed. The truth is, that a visit isn’t even necessary- the entire setup is proudly displayed online. The creators of the ‘Ariel Enduro Trail’ Facebook page seem fully aware that, from the perspective of state authorities, Palestinian lands are seen as a legitimate target, if not outright recommended, for looting.
This is not the only instance in the #WestBank where Palestinian agricultural lands have been looted and turned into a motorcycle track. Nearly three years ago, we published a post about the motorcycle track that was broken in the lands of the residents of the village of Aqraba. These lands were looted by Israel in the early 1970s and were later allocated to the isolated and violent settlement of #Gitit. Years after the settlers of Gitit stopped cultivating the lands that were granted to them at no cost, they decided they could exploit it in a more creative and profitable manner.
For several years, we have been writing about the link between the culture of criminality and lawlessness thriving in the #settlements and the leisure activities embraced by the Israeli middle class. The olive groves of Salfit residents is an example of this connection.
Link to the post about the motorcycle track in Gitit
https://www. facebook. com/share/p/18BQpnkbVQ/
https://www. facebook. com/share/p/18kYDEApzn/
#Kerem-navot #Keremnavot
#Israel #genocide #Gaza #Palestine
keremnavot.org/english
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https://www.
twitch.tv/stuziroro
ageha is playing midnight club 3
@kaia@brotka.st
Step one: Select the address
Step two: Highlight https://www
Step three: Type old
Step four: Press enter
Step five: Say "thank you raccoon, my hero, I always thought you were cool"
the w in https://www. stands for woem :spinny_cat_woem:
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