An interview with Ismail D'aiq
bitterlemons: Much has been written and said about closures on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in general, especially East Jerusalem. But only recently has the Jordan Valley come up. What is the situation with the travel restrictions there?
D'aiq: The Israeli travel restrictions were implemented a few years ago after the intifada started. What they mainly do is prevent Palestinians living in the villages around the Jordan Valley from either reaching their own farms or from working on others' in the Jordan Valley. The Israeli checkpoints are there to check whether the farmer is a resident of the Jordan Valley or not, and since the population of the Valley is less than 30,000, the majority of farmers in the Valley are from the Tamoun/Tubas areas and not from the Valley. The Israeli restrictions are affecting these people, preventing them from entering the Valley or moving from one area to another.
bitterlemons: How badly have these restrictions affected the agriculture industry?
D'aiq: The Valley is the fruit and vegetable basket for Palestinians in the wintertime and these restrictions have affected all aspects of the industry from cost of production and transportation to employment. Prices of vegetables and fruits have reached a level not seen in 15 years. The restrictions has affected farmers immensely, with those coming to buy, middlemen usually, unable to enter.
The total area of land that Palestinians can plant in the Jordan Valley is around 50,000 dunams. This year, only 30,000 dunams have been planted. Compare this to the Jewish settlements in the Valley, which have access to 200,000 dunams, all of which are cultivated this year.
Within the Valley there is not an employment problem, because there is a lot of work for a small population. It is the farmers in neighboring villages that are affected. But both can find work in the settlements. In fact, settlements can hire Palestinian workers without restriction. They can bring Palestinian workers in from other areas in special buses to cultivate the land of the settlements. It's only forbidden for Palestinians to work Palestinian land.
bitterlemons: So when Israel says these restrictions are a security measure, what is your response?
D'aiq: The Jordan Valley has been very quiet and peaceful throughout the intifada and even the settlers have said they have faced no security problem in the last 2-3 years. I think these restrictions are simply a smokescreen for Israel to confiscate more land and separate the Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank and the rest of the world.
bitterlemons: What are the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees doing about this?
D'aiq: PARC is trying to help the small farmers and poor families gain access to the market and solve certain problems regarding agricultural imports or irrigation systems and other infrastructure problems. This is all PARC can do. This is a political problem and we must pressure the political leaders to push for a solution.
bitterlemons: Are the restrictions affecting PARC?
D'aiq: Before these restrictions, our office in Jericho could serve the needs of the entire region. Now, our employees cannot travel and so we have had to find other solutions, primarily by looking for local employees or volunteers to do the work. Unfortunately, it is hard to find people with the technical expertise to do the work properly.
bitterlemons: If this situation persists, what do you foresee?
D'aiq: This will be a disaster for the agricultural sector. It already is. It is affecting mostly the workers who are coming from elsewhere in the West Bank, especially in the wintertime. In the meantime, we are trying to sit and analyze exactly what is the effect of these restrictions so we can come up with some solutions.
Ismail D'aiq is director of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, PARC.