Since advancing into Syria’s southernmost provinces of Quneitra and neighbouring Daraa months ago, Israeli forces have continued their assault on the communities living there, gradually bulldozing farmland and fruit tree orchards.
They have also strengthened their military outposts along the Al-Mantara Dam in the Umm Al-Adham area in southern Quneitra’s rural countryside.
To date, Israel’s encroachment has involved the advance of Israeli military units 200 metres further into Syrian territory, west of Jabata-al-Khashab village in Quneitra, starting on 15 September 2024.
Then, on 11 October, Israeli forces pushed further, bulldozing farmland belonging to Kudna village, occupying the site, and announcing the construction of a security barrier to “prevent the infiltration of armed militants.”
Following the collapse of the Assad regime and Bashar al-Assad’s escape from Syria in the early hours of 8 December 2024, Israeli forces entered a new phase of their creeping incursion into southern Syria. They advanced as far as Madinat al-Salam, the administrative centre of Quneitra governorate.
Since then, Israeli forces have fortified their military outposts in over 12 villages and towns across Quneitra, as well as in three villages in southwest Daraa. During this expansion, they have bulldozed land, including fruit orchards and olive groves, belonging to these villages.
Negative effects on the region
Weighing in on Israel’s actions is Omar Mahasneh, from a village in the Al-Shajara area, on the border between Quneitra and Daraa provinces.
He told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab‘s Arabic-language sister edition: “Israel’s invasion into villages and towns in Quneitra and the Daraa countryside has negatively affected the region’s farmers and beekeepers in particular, as their patrols have prevented farmers and agricultural workers from undertaking their usual activities.”
He added that the region’s population relies heavily on farming, livestock breeding, and beekeeping.
“These forms of work are the main sources of income,” he said, noting that more than 90 percent of the residents depend on farming for their livelihood.
Breadbasket in Roman times
Omar emphasised that the two provinces, along with the southwestern Damascus countryside, have been regarded as Syria’s breadbasket since ancient times, due to the extremely fertile volcanic soil that yields high-quality produce. They also lie within the water-rich Yarmouk basin, which has historically provided an ample water supply for irrigation.
“It shouldn’t be forgotten that the wheat from this region has been the best quality in Syria since Roman times, as well as the fact that 70 percent of farmland in Quneitra and Daraa is used to grow staples like wheat, chickpeas, and lentils, alongside other legumes like beans and peas, and leafy plants like mint, lettuce, parsley, coriander, and potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers,” Omar said.
He pointed out that the cultivation of staple grains is split into two seasons: “One that grows naturally and relies on rainfall, and another where it is irrigated through human intervention. As for the vegetables and fruits, we rely on artificial irrigation methods to grow them.”
He explained that this posed major challenges under the current circumstances: “Both environmental, and the Israeli encroachment in the region, and its cutting of the water supplies after occupying the Al-Mantara Dam, which is considered the most important water source for farming here, as well as sabotaging the local water pipeline network connecting the water to local villages.”
Losses in the millions
Saied Muhammed, from Quneitra, agreed that if the current situation persists, farmers will suffer major losses this year, noting that around 8,000 dunums of wheat fields are expected to fail.
He also mentioned that approximately 6,000 dunums of barley could fail to cover the costs of its seeds and cultivation if the drought continues and the water supply remains controlled by the Israelis, adding that 1 dunum equals 1,000 square metres.
Turning to the issue of vegetables and fruit, Saied said that Quneitra’s dependence on summer fruits like peaches, plums, grapes, and figs requires abundant rainfall and plentiful water supplies for the trees to produce new fruit, and the same applies to olives.
If they don’t receive enough water, their branches will dry out and die, he warned.
When discussing beekeeping, Saied explained, “I’ve worked as a beekeeper for years, and I’ve never seen a worse season than this. Due to the drought, the grassland has shrunk significantly and has disappeared entirely in many areas.
“This will have a disastrous impact on this season’s productivity if weather conditions remain the same and the flowers don’t bloom, meaning all our efforts will have been in vain.”
He also added that rising costs for raw materials like sugar and medicines, as well as equipment and beehives, are another challenge, along with the declining prices of honey and other bee products.
Speaking about the future of beekeeping in the country, Saied said it depends on whether the climate remains conducive to farming in general.
He pointed out that Quneitra alone has around 10,000 beehives, meaning the current drought poses a significant risk and, according to him, could lead many apiaries to migrate, as happened two years ago, resulting in losses “in the millions.”
Meanwhile, Ali Jaridi, a farmer and livestock breeder in Quneitra, said: “We’re trying to stay hopeful, but nothing is promising: there’s no rain, no water, and no grass in the pastures.”
He explained that he and other farmers began sowing their wheat and barley crops a few weeks ago despite the delayed rainfall and the high cost of seeds.
However, he added, “we don’t know if we’ll be able to harvest what we’ve planted or not, firstly because of the weather, and secondly, we’re afraid of a war or larger-scale invasion by the Israelis, who could stop us from harvesting our crops.”
Occupation spells disaster
In Jamla village, located in the rural west of Daraa, one resident (who asked to remain anonymous) said many locals were too scared to access their land because it would mean passing close to the Al Jazira outpost occupied by Israeli soldiers.
He mentioned that, in the past, shepherds and protestors from Jamla and neighbouring Ma’ariya village had been fired upon, leaving people cut off from their means of livelihood, and pointed out that the Israeli outpost sits on the road between these villages and their fields in the Wadi Ruqqad area of the Yarmouk basin — an area whose waters Israel has seized control of.
Given these circumstances, this spells disaster for farmers and beekeepers in the area, who have been unable to work on their land since the end of last year.
This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition. To read the original article click here.
Translated by Rose Chacko
This article is taken from our Arabic sister publication, Al-Araby Al Jadeed and mirrors the source’s original editorial guidelines and reporting policies. Any requests for correction or comment will be forwarded to the original authors and editors
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