Friends of the Earth International condemns the assault on Palestine’s only national seed bank

A destroyed storage facility at the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), seed bank in Hebron, July 2025

Friends of the Earth International issued this statement on 1 August 2025:

Friends of the Earth International strongly condemns the military assault on a seed bank in the West Bank. The Multiplication Unit of the Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC)´s Seed Bank in Hebron is the only national seed bank in Palestine. We stand in internationalist solidarity with Palestinian farmers and their right to food sovereignty.

On Thursday, 31 July, the Israeli occupation forces used bulldozers and heavy machinery to demolish storage facilities and infrastructure that are essential to the unit’s operations. The destruction of critical facilities used for storing agricultural materials, seeds, and tools constitutes a direct assault on Palestinian food sovereignty and the efforts of the farmers to preserve baladi (heirloom) seeds. The attack on the seed bank is an attack on the local wisdom, ecological heritage, and the work by the farmers to reproduce, preserve, and improve local seeds.

Abeer AL Butmeh from Pengon/FoE Palestine points out, “While Israel is committing a genocide against Gaza, the hidden war in the West Bank is flaring up. The violence in the West Bank has been steadily increasing, tens of demolishing operations are held daily targeting Palestinian houses, facilities, and even the bank for seeds was not spared.”

This is an escalation of attacks on agricultural practices in Palestine, and comes after the control of water by occupation forces which left farmers in distress. This threatens the biodiversity, history, and living knowledge of the land. The destruction of local adaptive seeds and their propagation will lead to the destruction of climate-adaptive farming practices and push Palestinian agriculture towards water-intensive and corporate-controlled farming models.

The right of the Palestinian people to their land, water, and seeds is fundamental to the life of their people, and the destruction of agricultural infrastructure, local seeds, and restrictions on water access constitute violations of rights and environmental injustice to the people.

Friends of the Earth International calls upon its members, allies, and other environmental and social and climate justice groups to hold Israel accountable for violating the rights of the people to land, water, and seeds.

We stand in internationalist solidarity with UAWC and Palestinian civil society organisations working to uphold food sovereignty and resist corporate capture of agriculture.

This statement is reproduced in its entirety