Farmers in the West Bank village of Burin are utilizing collective agricultural efforts to combat settler violence and maintain their connection to ancestral land.
In the village of Burin, located in the occupied West Bank, the daily reality for farmers is defined f the local Land and Farming Cooperative, describes a routine where the arrival of Israeli military convoys signals a disruption of normal life, often leading to the forced closure of local businesses. Beyond the military presence, these farmers face frequent, targeted attacks from settlers living in nearby outposts, which are considered illegal under international law.
These confrontations have reached a level of intensity that many observers describe as a systematic campaign of displacement. In one notable incident, members of the cooperative attempted to protect their greenhouses from a settler’s livestock, only to be met with threats of retaliation. Shortly thereafter, the cooperative’s infrastructure—including five greenhouses, irrigation systems, and thousands of tomato seedlings—was systematically destroyed. This act of vandalism resulted in significant economic losses for the 25 families who rely on the cooperative for their survival and community stability.
The challenges facing Burin are not isolated incidents but reflect a broader pattern of instability across the West Bank. Beyond physical destruction of property, such as the burning of over 1,500 olive trees and the destruction of wheat harvests, the cooperative members find themselves hemmed in gnated as "closed military zones." While these orders are ostensibly issued for security reasons, they are frequently utilized to restrict the movement of Palestinian landowners while failing to prevent the encroachment of neighboring settlers.
International humanitarian organizations have documented a sharp rise in such incidents, with statistics indicating that the frequency of settler attacks is on track to break previous annual records. Human rights groups argue that the actions of these settlers, often carried out with the tacit enabling of authorities, serve to facilitate the forced displacement of Palestinian communities. For the farmers of Burin, the land is not merely a source of income but a focal point of a larger, ongoing struggle for presence and existence in the face of mounting pressure.
In response to these constant threats, the Burin Land and Farming Cooperative has adopted a strategy centered on "food sovereignty." Founded in 2020, the cooperative functions as a collective that pools labor, resources, and produce to ensure that the community remains self-sufficient. ion aims to reduce dependence on external aid and chemical inputs, viewing their agricultural work as a direct, political act of resistance against the occupation.
The cooperative’s impact extends to the wider village through a profit-sharing model that funds local educational and social programs. idents to achieve long-term independence. Najjar emphasizes that this model is designed to be resilient, ensuring that the work continues regardless of the individual circumstances of its leaders, including the constant threat of administrative detention
Despite the persistent destruction of their hard-won progress, the farmers of Burin maintain a steadfast commitment to their land. Their daily activities, which they jokingly refer to as the “Tom and Jerry Programme,” involve a constant dance of presence and withdrawal—returning to the fields as soon as military or settler activity subsides. This consistent physical presence is, to them, a powerful statement that they have no intention of leaving their ancestral homes.
For Najjar and his fellow members, the motivation is rooted in dignity and the refusal to succumb to the psychological toll of the occupation. They argue that true freedom is found in the act of working the land, regardless of the dangers involved. k as a rejection of the idea that they can be displaced or coerced into silence. For these farmers, the act of planting a seed is a defiant assertion of their right to remain on their land, even under the most volatile circumstances.