Israel Converts Last Farmland in Taibeh into Truck Corridor

Israel seized the last open agricultural land in the Arab Israeli city of Taibeh on July 19, Haaretz reported. The move converts the remaining fields into a corridor for heavy truck traffic. Abed Hajj Yahya, a local farmer, climbed onto his tractor that morning and drove between rows of fig trees and strawberry plants to inspect the fruit.

The seizure ends all open farmland inside the city limits. Haaretz reported that approximately 2,500 trucks will enter and exit Taibeh each day once the route opens. The increased traffic is expected to release dangerous particles into the local air.

The government action targets the agricultural land directly for the new truck corridor. No other uses for the seized area were described in the report.