The Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions in The Netherlands has called for urgent support from Washington Report readers.

Many of you may be familiar with the Palestinian farmer Sharif Omar from the West Bank village of Jayyous.  He is featured in the special report on the , in the October 2004 issue of the Washington Report (pg 49)

The Dec. 14 Guardian contains an excellent article by Chris McCreal called: Israel Hastens Land Grab in Shadow of Wall

It begins:

Sharif Omar has been waiting two years for the bulldozers, ever since Israel's steel and barbed wire "security fence" carved its way between his village and its land.  Last week the excavators and diggers finally arrived on the outskirts of Jayyous to lay the foundations for an expansion of the nearby Jewish settlement of Zufim, fulfilling the fears and warnings of its Palestinian neighbours.

"The bulldozers were preparing the ground for hundreds of new homes, despite the Israeli government*s claim that it is not expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank.  Like other building work along the route of the barrier, it seems to be an attempt to ensure that the land between the fence and the 1967 border remains in Israeli hands in any final agreement with the Palestinians.

"When they built the fence, we said they would use it to build a much bigger settlement, and they would take our land to do it," said Mr Omar, whose olive and citrus groves are now encircled.

"It is very clear to us, they are planning to confiscate all of our land and drive us from here.  They came and told us to finish harvesting because they were going to begin building 80 houses.  They are beginning with my neighbour's land but if they do it there they will do it on mine."

According the Netherlands Palestine Committee, Omar was part of the Palestinian delegation to the Paris European Social Forum in 2003 and was also present at the European Coordinating Committee for NGOS on the Question of Palestine*s pre-meeting prior to the ESF.  Last February he was one of the guest speakers at The Hague during the International Court of Justice hearings, and during the recent Netherlands Social Forum, from November 26-28, he was once again present.

In his function as chairman of the organization of farmers affected by the Wall, Omar has also been a frequent guest in many other European countries and has received broad media coverage on many occasions.  He was featured on "60 Minutes" on December 11, 2003.  Aside from being a heart-warming speaker, he has become a very dear friend to many Europeans and Americans.

Until recently, Sharif's main focus was the fact that Israel's wall was separating the farmers from their land, and therefore from their means of existence.  However, during his November visit to The Netherlands he relayed a new threat: Israel is now planning to expropriate his land and that of his colleagues for the purpose of building a completely new settlement.

No sooner did he return to Jayyous, than we received the shocking information that the bulldozers were to begin their work after Hanukkah.  More than a hundred olive trees will be uprooted.

We need to get as many people as possible on the scene in Jayyous immediately to observe the atrocity.

Those of us who cannot go to Jayyous should call journalists, or the Israeli Embassy or your member of Congress to complain.  Pressure Israel to halt the illegal actions which are contrary to the Road Map.

We would like to thank you very much for any support you are able to offer to the people of Jayyous.  We would also like to ask you to please keep us updated on any action which you are able to take!

Kind regards and solidarity, Aurora Netherlands Palestine Committee lucia@icahd.org

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Ambassador Daniel Ayalon
Embassy of the State of Israel
3514 International Dr
NW Washington, DC 20008
202 364 5500

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