IOF demolish Palestinian seed bank facility in al-Khalil
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By destroying a hub for indigenous seeds, Israeli forces strike at the heart of Palestinian farming heritage, threatening both livelihoods and ecological resilience.
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The aftermath of the Israeli destruction of the Seed Multiplication Unit of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in al-Khalil (UAWC)
In a significant escalation against Palestinian agricultural infrastructure, invading Israeli units demolished the Seed Multiplication Unit of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) al-Khalil, in the occupied West Bank.
According to UAWC, Israeli troops raided the facility without prior warning, using bulldozers and heavy machinery to destroy storage warehouses, agricultural tools, and seed materials essential for local crop reproduction.
The targeted unit had been a central hub in UAWC’s efforts to safeguard indigenous seed varieties and promote Palestinian food sovereignty.
Wider context
The organization condemned the demolition as a “strategic attack” on the foundations of Palestinian resilience, arguing that it aimed to sever generational ties between farmers and their land by erasing traditional knowledge and local biodiversity.
"This deliberate targeting of a civilian agricultural facility is not just an attack on infrastructure — it’s an attempt to undermine our national heritage and food autonomy," UAWC said in a statement.
The destruction comes amid rising settler violence and broader Israeli efforts to usurp more land in the West Bank. Palestinian civil society groups have described such incidents as part of a systematic campaign to dismantle the livelihoods of farming communities.
UAWC called on international institutions, human rights organizations, and solidarity movements to urgently intervene and hold "Israel" accountable for what they describe as ongoing violations of agricultural, environmental, and human rights.
Settlement expansion, forced displacement accelerate
Last month, Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with "annexing" the occupied West Bank, declaring there is "no more appropriate time" to apply full "Israeli sovereignty" over the territory.
Speaking before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s Subcommittee for Judea and Samaria, Smotrich framed the move as a "historic correction" to what he called the 2005 “mistake” of "Israel’s" unilateral withdrawal from Gaza’s Gush Katif settlement bloc. He emphasized the "annexation’s political, security, economic, and moral significance,” describing it as essential to the Zionist project.
“We’re advancing in two stages,” Smotrich explained. “First, de facto sovereignty, through administrative and cognitive processes to normalize settlement. Second, internal institutional changes, so that when the formal act is carried out, the system will be ready. We’ve done the groundwork—legally and administratively. We’re ready to press the button.”
In a direct appeal to Netanyahu, Smotrich stressed, “We have full support from the US administration—I say this from knowledge. The sky will not fall.” He called on the prime minister to act decisively, invoking Jewish historical destiny and urging him to convene the government to approve annexation.
Netanyahu weighs partial Gaza annexation to appease Smotrich
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly preparing to propose a "phased annexation" of parts of the Gaza Strip to the Security and Political Cabinet, in a bid to placate far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and safeguard his fragile governing coalition, Haaretz has lately reported.
Under the plan, Hamas would be given a brief window to accept a ceasefire deal. Should the group refuse, "Israel" would initiate a step-by-step "annexation of Gaza territory," starting with areas along the Strip’s eastern border, the so-called "internal buffer zone" maintained by Israeli occupation forces. The process would then expand northward, particularly targeting zones near Sderot and Askalan, with the ultimate aim of "annexing Gaza" in its entirety.
The proposal is expected to follow Netanyahu’s decision to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, a move opposed by Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party. Sources cited by Haaretz suggest the "annexation plan" is part of a calculated balancing act by Netanyahu, offering concessions on aid while pushing forward with territorial expansion to retain far-right support.
During closed-door discussions with ministers, Netanyahu reportedly stated the "phased annexation plan" had received a "green light" from the administration of US President Donald Trump.
