NFU Solidarity with Palestinian Farmers
Solidarity with Palestinian Farmers for an End to the Annexation and Colonization of Palestine
As a member of the global farmer movement, La Vía Campesina, the National Farmers Union (NFU) builds solidarity with farmers internationally. The NFU is therefore deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Palestinian farmers given recent attacks on their land and human rights.
On 16 January 2017, the Israeli government started uprooting 2,000 olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers in the region of Qaliqilai. This attack on Palestinian farmers and food sovereignty is part of an on-going effort by the Israeli state to remove Palestinian farmers from their land and expand Israeli settlements. According to the UN Security Council’s resolution 2334, the Israeli government’s activity in the occupied territories, including the acquisition of land by force, is illegal and in violation of the Geneva Convention.
Palestinian olive trees are a universal symbol of peace and an essential part of Palestinian culture and identity. Olive oil is critical to the Palestinian economy: it is the second major export product and accounts for 25 percent of the total agricultural production.
The NFU stands in solidarity with our partners in the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in their efforts to challenge Israel’s illegal settlements and acts of aggression toward Palestinian farmers. The NFU further supports UWAC in their call for a two-state solution that will guarantee for the Palestinian people self-determination and democracy.
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