The Government’s Red Eyes: The Clusters Project

·       Kafr Thulth..'Azzun..Qalqilya Governorate

-       The Palestinian government announced weeks ago the start of the Clusters Project in Qalqilya Governorate. The valiant..and afflicted by the settlements...past and present..and still... The announced project is essentially to support the steadfastness of citizen farmers and to take their hand toward development, self-sufficiency and export production...especially for those whose agricultural lands are in Area C and are not considered under Palestinian legal jurisdiction..despite the Palestinian Authority’s recent announcement that it had begun granting building permits in Area C. (more than 60% of the West Bank’s lands)..Kafr Thulth in particular received the largest share of the Clusters Project...including paving an agricultural road 3.5 kilometers long..the municipality and its partners in Kafr Thulth completed the paving so that it becomes a usable agricultural road in the northern area of the town of Kafr Thulth..

-       Yesterday..it was announced that the ruthless occupation authorities confiscated a (bajar) machine working to reclaim the land of one of the beneficiaries of the Clusters Project...then prevented that farmer from completing his contiguous land and reclaiming it...then their bulldozers damaged the paved road as their machines, including bulldozers, plowed up that road until it became unfit even for agricultural traffic and pack animals...

-       The municipality also threatened that it would demolish any agricultural water cistern planned to be built within the announced Clusters Project if it were constructed..and some have heard that two walls are planned in the north of Kafr Thulth and south of 'Azzun...to complete the construction of walls to connect the settlements established there, of which there are many on the lands of the two towns...

-       The question is..to whom do hundreds of farmers complain???..and also the beneficiaries of the Clusters program? Which was created originally to begin the process of economic disengagement from the militarily and economically occupying Israeli economy according to unjust agreements...to whom will they resort? And these areas are classified as Area C...under unjust agreements from which the Palestinian side has only reaped deprivation of its eternal rights to its lands...Did the Palestinian government perhaps not take into account the expectation of Israeli demolition of bread-and-butter projects!!...and the rectification of the Palestinians' meager livelihood..which the Israeli occupation authorities will complete by seizing thousands of dunams with ancient olive trees..to build new walls..without regard for Palestinian authority or Palestinian rights. All this with official..Palestinian silence.

-       Official denunciation and condemnation and the appointment of officials to resist the walls and settlement do not help and are not enough. They are continuing. The settlers' numbers have increased by about 800,000, at minimum, in the last 25 years compared with what they were in 1987.

-   The Clusters Project that we hailed and rejoiced over..has become the Clusters of Anger...!!!
We appeal to those in authority that the time has come for a moment of truth!!..that they speak in Arabic...and frankly..!! But not as before. We do not want illusions....!!..We want the language of facts to increase our confidence in the government and the conviction that it is proceeding and is capable...in a serious way of disengagement and self-reliance..and of standing up to the occupation as a support and protection for the Palestinian citizens and what remains of their possessions....and that the eyes of our government will turn red..in the face of the arrogance of the longest occupation...that still crouches on the soil of Palestine...and all of Palestine...will we perhaps...see them red, striking terror in the ranks of the occupation..and deterring it from its destructive acts against citizens...and the homeland....We beseech God..imploring!!!