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More than 500 volunteers dismantled structures at the Palestinian Hakoortna farm in western Tulkarem over three days, amid fears that Israeli authorities would demolish the site. The family later obtained a temporary court order suspending the measure pending a hearing, Anadolu Agency reported.
The farm, located near Israel’s separation wall and surrounded by Israeli industrial facilities, has supported the Al-Tanib family for more than 40 years. It has also served as an agricultural training centre and a destination for school and university visits.
Demolition order and legal challenge
Farm owner Fayez Awad al-Tanib said Israeli authorities issued an order on Sept. 16 requiring the family to demolish several structures or dismantle them itself by a specified deadline. He said the family was warned that failure to comply would lead the Israeli army to carry out the demolition and charge the family for the costs.
The order followed a notice issued in August 2025 instructing the family to stop work on agricultural structures before their removal. With assistance from the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center, the family filed a legal challenge.
According to al-Tanib, Israeli authorities cited security concerns linked to the farm’s proximity to the separation wall, claiming that some structures obstructed visibility. Other structures were allegedly built without permits. The family said many of the buildings targeted by the order dated from between 1984 and 1995.
Volunteers dismantle farm structures
As the deadline approached, volunteers spent three days dismantling greenhouses, agricultural facilities, fish ponds, beehives and equipment used for growing trees. The family also emptied the fish ponds and moved equipment and structures that could be salvaged.
Most of the structures listed in the demolition order had already been taken apart when the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center informed the family that it had secured a temporary court order suspending the demolition.
“We dismantled everything out of fear of the demolition, and then we received a decision freezing it,” al-Tanib said.
The Jerusalem District Court issued the temporary order after an urgent petition by the center’s lawyers and scheduled a hearing for Dec. 17. The order does not cancel the demolition decision but temporarily halts its implementation until the court reviews the petition.
Farm operating since 1984
Al-Tanib began managing the land in 1984 after his father’s death. He later developed it with his family into an organic farm designed to reduce reliance on fertilisers and chemicals.
Hakoortna covers approximately 32 dunams, or 7.9 acres. About 10 dunams are planted with citrus trees and another 10 dunams with other fruit trees. The farm also includes greenhouses, fish ponds, beehives and other agricultural facilities.
Its two-storey agricultural house covers about 120 square metres on each floor. Over the years, the site expanded beyond agricultural production and became a training and education centre.
Al-Tanib said tens of thousands of children had visited the farm, along with university students studying agriculture who sometimes spent up to four months a year training there.
Separation wall and nearby industry
The family said conditions changed after Israel began constructing the separation wall in 2002. They said the wall caused them to lose part of their land and imposed restrictions on access and agricultural work.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has documented the impact of the permit and gate system on farmers in the northern West Bank, including Tulkarem. The restrictions affect activities such as ploughing, pruning, fertilising and harvesting.
In a 2004 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice said Israel’s construction of the wall inside the occupied Palestinian territory and its associated regime violated international law. Israel says the wall was built for security reasons and to prevent attacks.
Hakoortna is situated between the separation wall and Israeli industrial facilities. Al-Tanib said repeated measures against the farm threatened his family’s continued presence on the land.
“They want to uproot us from the farm and remove us from it to clear the way for the chemical factories,” he said.
The family has also attributed damage to the soil and crops to nearby factories, based on its experience at the site. Israeli authorities, according to the family, said the measures were based on security and planning considerations, as well as permit issues.
Since the beginning of 2026, Israeli authorities have demolished or forced Palestinians to demolish 1,164 structures for lacking Israeli-issued permits, displacing more than 1,500 Palestinians, according to OCHA. The agency says such permits are nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli authorities carried out 71 demolition operations in August, affecting 155 Palestinian structures, including 61 agricultural structures and 33 used as sources of livelihood. Authorities also issued 44 demolition notices during the month.
OCHA said the average monthly number of structures demolished in Area C and East Jerusalem since 2024 has been at least twice the average recorded during the previous 15 years.
