‘This is my land’: Palestinian farmer defies Israeli occupier attacks in West Bank

On a hill overlooking the plains of Turmus Ayya near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian farmer Nidal Walid Rabee stands gazing at land he can no longer reach due to Israeli occupier attacks and restrictions.

"This is my land. I look at it every day, but I cannot reach it," Rabee told Anadolu as he points to distant olive groves.

His story is not just about a farmer losing his livelihood, but about a lifelong connection to land shaped since childhood, followed by nearly three decades abroad in the United States, ending in a harsh reality where restrictions and occupier violence now block his access.

In recent months, attacks by Israeli occupiers in Turmus Ayya have escalated, including leveling agricultural land, uprooting trees and carrying out assaults under the protection of Israeli forces against Palestinian residents, homes and property.

According to the official Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) 1,819 occupier attacks were recorded across the occupied West Bank in March, including 1,322 by Israeli forces and 497 by occupiers.

- RETURN TO ROOTS

About 12 years ago, Rabee decided to return to the West Bank after spending nearly 28 years abroad, during which he says he never abandoned his land.

"I used to come back three times a year. I never left the land," he said.

He recalled accompanying his father and grandfather to the fields as a child to learn farming.

"We would go harvest after school," he recalled.

That connection led him to specialize in what he calls "heirloom seeds," which he collects, preserves and replants, maintaining traditional varieties of zucchini, cucumber and tomatoes.

"I became a reference in the area. Anyone who wants heirloom tomatoes comes to me from the north and south. These tomatoes are a heritage left to us by our ancestors, and we will continue to preserve it," he said.

"I keep the seeds, plant them across seasons and preserve them for years, then replant from the same local seeds," he added.

The farming project Rabee built over the years has suffered heavy setbacks amid rising occupier attacks targeting his land.

He said about 10 dunams (2.5 acres) were leveled and olive trees, some more than 20 years old and producing about 40 cans of oil annually, were uprooted.

"Now they produce nothing," he said.

The Palestinian farmer said he can no longer access about 30 dunams of his land planted with olive trees, along with another 6 dunams of olives and grapes.

Around two dunams of olive trees on his land were also burned by occupiers, while access to the rest remains blocked.

Rabee said he has lost or been denied access to about 70% of his 60-dunam land, sharply reducing his production.

"I used to produce about 150 cans of olive oil annually. Last year I produced only 18," he said.

He also lost farmland where he grew wheat, barley and sesame, saying he can no longer reach it "at all."

- SYMBOL OF RESILIENCE

Despite the losses, Rabee has not abandoned farming. Instead, he leased alternative land to continue working.

"I rented land to continue growing tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers, producing tons of them," he said.

He also provides year-round work for others to help them meet basic needs.

Despite his years abroad, Rabee has passed his connection to the land on to his children and grandchildren.

"My grandchildren come here to learn the value of working in the land," he said.

"When we harvest zucchini and cucumbers, I set up a small stall for them to sell and learn how to preserve what their ancestors left," he added.

"The land gives, but it needs those who work and care for it," he said.

Rabee stressed that everyone should farm as much as they can to achieve self-sufficiency.

"This is our land, and it will remain here," he added.

Despite holding US citizenship, Rabee said he lacks protection from Israeli occupier attacks. He said a US military attaché in Tel Aviv visited him and saw the situation, promising to help facilitate access to his land.

"But until today, we have not been able to do that," he said.

Rabee noted that about 3,000 dunams in the area are effectively out of their owners' control.

Since October 2023, Israeli forces and occupiers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians in the West Bank, injured about 11,750 and arrested nearly 22,000, according to Palestinian figures.