Protesters Rally in Tayibe Against Land Confiscation Plans

Residents of Tayibe, a city in central Israel, held a protest on Saturday evening against the approval of plans for Road 533 and the 'Alexander' junction. The protest, called by the Tayibe Popular Committee and the Farmers' Committee, was held on the main road and drew participants from the nearby towns of Tayibe, Qalansawe, and Tayibe. Protesters voiced their rejection of the plan, emphasizing their commitment to their land and the need to protect landowners' rights. They called for a reconsideration of the plan to avoid harming residents and their property.

A statement released by the organizing committees described the plan as one of the "most dangerous racist attacks" and a "systematic targeting" of the city's land and future, aiming to confiscate land, demolish homes, and stifle the city. The statement highlighted a specific plan to establish a large waste dump on 2,100 dunams (approximately 520 acres) of land adjacent to Highway 6, warning of a "real environmental and health disaster." This dump, they asserted, would expose residents to chronic and fatal diseases due to air, water, and soil pollution, posing a direct threat to their lives.

The statement also warned that the project would create severe traffic congestion in Tayibe due to constant heavy truck traffic, exacerbating the existing traffic crisis and making daily life a struggle. Furthermore, plans for the 444 bypass road and Road 553, which are being built on Tayibe land, are seen as detrimental to the residents, involving the confiscation of over 500 dunams (approximately 124 acres) of their property. The threat of demolition also looms over homes and agricultural structures west of Highway 6.