Libel: Jews planted forests to hide ancient Palestinian history, according to PA daily article

Headline: “The fires in Jerusalem expose the traditional Palestinian agricultural patterns and colonialism’s illusion”

“The fires that have been raging in Jerusalem’s mountains and woods for a number of days have exposed a Palestinian agricultural technique that is hundreds of years old (sic., the Palestinians have no history prior to the modern period) and have also exposed part of the Zionist colonialist project and the geographical-historical truth.

Palestinian lecturer and historian Johnny Mansour explained that after the fires were put out in a number of the Jerusalem mountains, a sight that no one expected was discovered: terraces.

He added: ‘The Palestinian farmers used this agricultural technique for many decades. Some of the researchers say that… they are 400 years old, and I think that they are much more ancient.’

He added: ‘These agricultural techniques are the fruit of the Palestinian farmers’ efforts, sweat, and blood… but what did the occupying and uprooting Zionist project do? It planted forests with its colonialist institutions in extensive territories in these mountains and others to hide the surface and landmarks of the area, and it destroyed what the farmers had done and created.’

Mansour noted that following the afforestation work that was carried out by the Jewish National Fund (JNF), everything Palestinian aged 10,000 years old was hidden for the benefit of everything that creates the impression that the site is Zionist and Jewish. He added that due to the European colonialist mentality that shaped Zionism, its project also relied on transferring the European ‘place’ to Palestine (apparently refers to afforestation -Ed.), so that the settlers would enjoy a calm similar to that in which they lived in Europe.”