A gift that cannot be sold': the Palestinian family fighting to save their West Bank farm

"In 1916, Daher Nassar, a Christian Palestinian farmer living south of Bethlehem, made a move considered more than unusual at the time. He bought a 42-hectare stretch of farmland on the slopes and valleys of Wadi Salem, and formally registered the purchase with the Ottoman authorities, who then ruled the region. A few years later, after transferring the title to his son, Nassar did something even more extraordinary. He re-registered the deed under each successive administration the British mandate, then the Jordanian government,"

""I received this land as a gift, says Daoud Nassar, 55, Daher's grandchild, who now owns the farm with his family. My grandfather gave it to my father, who gave it to me and to my brothers and sisters, and we intend to pass it on to our children, and to their children after them. For us Palestinians, the land is a gift and a gift cannot be sold or given away.""

"Nestled in the olive-clad hills of the Judean desert, the Nassar farm survives without direct access to water or electricity both were cut off by Israeli settlers in 1991 with the family living partly in underground natural caves. It is the only place they are able to live, because since 1967 when the land was designed part of Area C, under full Israeli military and civil control, any structure permanent or temporary requires an Israeli permit. Almost none are granted."

Daher Nassar purchased 42 hectares near Wadi Salem in 1916 and formally registered the deed with Ottoman authorities. He transferred the title to his son and re-registered the deed under the British mandate, the Jordanian government, and after 1967 under Israeli occupation. The family uses this document to defend the farm located in Area C of the West Bank. Israeli authorities launched a legal bid in 1991 to declare the land state property. Settlers cut water and electricity in 1991, forcing the family to live partly in natural caves. Israeli permits for structures in Area C are almost never granted.

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