GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Dozens of farmers and other residents of West Bank villages rallied Sept. 22 in front of the Israeli gate by the separation wall near Araqah, seeking access to their lands on the Israeli side of the barrier that have been under Israeli sovereignty since the wall was built in 2003.

The protesters came from towns in southwest Jenin province including Araqah, Nazlet Zeid, Tawra and at-Tarem. They demanded unrestricted access to their land and denounced what they called the arbitrary measures Israel enacted Sept. 22 to stop farmers from harvesting their olives. Israel has been denying farmers permits, citing supposed security concerns and saying some parcels are too small to qualify for access.

The new measures come atop other conditions that Israel has imposed for years, such as age restrictions and limited hours of access. Now, any farmer seeking a land-access permit must produce a land title issued in 2018 and a new deed from the Beit Salem camp or, if the owner has died, a deed transfer to determine the heirs’ shares of the land. No permit is issued if the land or share of land is less than 380 square meters (454 square yards). In those cases, Israel seizes the parcels.

Mohammad Waked, a 28-year-old protester from Araqah, told Al-Monitor he and members of his family had applied for a permit to access their land, but were denied for security reasons. He added, "[The Israeli authorities] are justifying it by saying that they are not issuing permits to young people out of fear that they will commit terrorist attacks. My father, however, is 52.”