Season:
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2022-2023
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Governorate:
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Jerusalem
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Locality:
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Biddu
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Address:
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Al-Sahl
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Abdel-Kareem Mohammad Hmeidan, is a 60 years old Palestinian farmer, with 7 family members, and owns three dunums (0.75 acres) of farmland. In the same town, he works in agriculture and construction. It's only a few meters from the Israeli apartheid wall. The olive tree and land, according to Abdel-Kareem, have significant cultural, economic, and symbolic value to the Palestinian people. For generations, Palestinian farmers relied on the selling of olive oil and other olive products to support their families. Furthermore, the olive tree is culturally and spiritually significant to Palestinians, who see it as a symbol of peace, strength, and endurance. The Olive Tree Campaign provided Abdel-Kareem with 75 olive trees to keep him in his homeland and hope alive.
Biddu is a town located in the Jerusalem governorate, northwest of Jerusalem. Its population was 6,129 people in the 2007 census conducted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The town covers an area of about 5363 dunums (1325 acres), including 2629 dunums (650 acres) of arable land and 685 dunums (170 acres) of residential land. However, the agricultural sector in Biddu faces various challenges, including restrictions on the master plan, lack of funds, limited pastures, gate closures, and farmers being denied access to their land. Additionally, the construction of the apartheid wall has had a severe impact on the town's agriculture. According to the 1995 accords, 24.8% of Biddu's land was classified as Area B, while the remaining 75.2% was classified as Area C. Israel has confiscated approximately 627 dunams (155 acres) of Biddu's land for the Israeli colony (settlement) of Har Adar (Giv'at HaRadar) and 186 dunams (46 acres) for Giv'on Ha'hadasha.
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