The farm, established in 1984, is located near the separation wall in the northern occupied West Bank and has served as a source of livelihood, agricultural training and education for the Al-Tanib family for decades.
Farm owner Fayez Awad al-Tanib said Israeli authorities issued a demolition order on Sept. 16 and warned that the occupation army would carry out the demolitions and charge the family if it failed to dismantle the structures itself.
“The family was told that if it failed to comply, the Israeli army would carry out the demolition using its machinery and charge the family for the cost,” he said.
The order followed an August 2025 notice directing the family to halt work on several agricultural structures.
According to al-Tanib, Israeli authorities claimed security concerns over the farm’s proximity to the separation wall, visibility issues and alleged construction without permits.
The family said many of the structures targeted dated from between 1984 and 1995.
As the deadline approached, more than 500 volunteers worked into the evening to dismantle greenhouses, fish ponds, beehives and other agricultural equipment.
“The work continued into the evening, while the family emptied fish ponds and moved whatever equipment and structures could be dismantled,” said al-Tanib.
The dismantling operation was already largely complete when the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center informed the family that it had secured a temporary court order suspending the demolition pending a Dec. 17 hearing.
“We dismantled everything out of fear of the demolition, and then we received a decision freezing it,” he said.
The order temporarily freezes implementation but does not cancel the demolition decision.
Hakoortna covers about 32 dunams and includes citrus and other fruit trees, greenhouses, fish ponds, beehives and a two-story agricultural house.
“Tens of thousands of children had visited the farm, along with university students specializing in agriculture who sometimes spent up to four months a year training there,” said al-Tanib.
The family said the farm’s situation deteriorated after construction of the separation wall began in 2002, with restrictions affecting access to land and agricultural work.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that Israel’s construction of the wall in the occupied Palestinian territory and its associated regime were contrary to international law.
Meanwhile, UN figures show the wider demolition pressure on Palestinian communities has continued in 2026, with more than 1,500 Palestinians displaced by demolitions across the West Bank by mid-September.
“They want to uproot us from the farm and remove us from it to clear the way for the chemical factories,” al-Tanib said.