Ten days ago, Muhammed Mukbal from the village of Karyut discovered that his olive grove near the settlement of Shvut Rachel had been uprooted. A total of 300 trees, which he says were planted in 1965 on a plot inherited from his father, were taken by settlers. Some of the trees were used to beautify the way to the Adei Ad outpost nearby. On Wednesday he observed how the settlers, under orders from the civil administration, were replanting the olive trees on his plot.
When Mukbal discovered that his olive grove had been uprooted, he rushed to inform the civil administration about it. The administration in turn ordered the settlers to restore the trees to their place by week's end. The deal includes 140 of the original trees, 40 old trees from a different location and another 130 younger trees.
The replanting of the trees is considered to be an exceptionally rare act in view of the realities in the West Bank.
Attorney Michael Sfarad, the legal counsel for Yesh Din - Volunteers for Human Rights - told Haaretz yesterday that he is not certain what prompted this action. Sfarad pointed out that the theft of trees is a daily occurence in the West Bank, especially in areas where Palestinian access to their plots is severely limited.
"I cannot remember a case in which the civil administration intervened to replant the trees," he said.
Yesterday, Mukbal went to watch the replanting taking place on his land, but insisted on being escorted to the site by Israel Defense Forces soldiers. "Who will protect me from the settlers?" he wanted to know.
At his grove he pointed and said: "Look what they have done here. This grove will no longer be what it once was. Where are the trees?"
Mukbal has bitter experiences with the settlers. Last fall he went to collect his olives in coordination with the liaison office, which sent soldiers to accompany him only on the first day. When the soldiers were not there, the settlers beat him and his family.
Yesterday he identified one of his assailants, who drove around in an off-road vehicle, reporting on a cell phone that the owner of the plot had unexpectedly arrived.
"Let's go," Mukbal said, "before more settlers arrive."
One of the settlers approached Mukbal and offered to negotiate over the trees.
"Leave the courts," he told Mukbal, "let's talk."
Mukbal refused. "Why should I go? After all, they do not want to see me around here," he explained.
Mukbal is very mindful of the documents that clearly indicate that the land is registered in his name, and also a letter from the civil administration recommending that "this plot should be closed to Israelis."
The settlers dispute Mukbal's ownership of the land.
Pinhas Wallerstein, chairman of the local council of Binyamin, said the grove had been cared for by Jews in recent years but the trees bore no fruit so it was decided to uproot them.
A senior official in the civil administration said that the settlers' claims had been checked and rejected because the plot constitutes private Palestinian property.
