RAMALLAH, (PIC)
On the soil of the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, the body of 48-year-old Wael Basem Ghafari fell, martyred, after a lifetime spent clinging to the land, carrying on his shoulders the commandments of his ancestors and the oath of the farmers never to bargain over even a handful of soil.
Wael, born just a few months after Land Day, was a living embodiment of its meaning. He grew up among thyme and sage, watering his trees with his sweat, embracing the soil of his land as a lover embraces their beloved. He was not just an ordinary farmer; he was a guardian of the land and a fighter in the battle for steadfastness.
Between farming and resistance
Wael knew no other path but the land; he was a farmer molded from its soil. He planted, harvested, raised livestock, and cared for beehives he considered his own children.
He owned land in some of the most targeted areas by settlers: “Al-Rumani,” “Al-Rafid,” and “Abu Al-Awf” — lands that remained witnesses to his daily battles with the occupation.
With unyielding determination, Ghafari confronted attempts to seize his land and endured multiple settler attacks. The settlers knew him by name, just as the stalks of wheat, the clusters of olives, and the stones of the land he defended until his last breath knew him.
The final farewell
On the evening of Monday, April 21st, when settlers attacked the southern area of Sinjil, burning agricultural rooms, destroying crops, and torching vehicles, Wael was the first to arrive, as always, fighting fire and death with his bare hands.
He tried to extinguish the fire that had reached his brother’s room and stood face to face with the occupation soldiers who were protecting the settlers. There, amid the smell of smoke and the whizzing of poisonous gas canisters, Wael fell — not in loss, but ascending toward immortality.
The guardian of thyme and lover of the land
Wael was not just a guardian of the land; he was a spirit pulsing with life in Sinjil — a sports enthusiast, a supporter of every event, generous with his fellow townspeople, smiling despite the oppression, and courageous when the moment demanded it.
Throughout his life, he worked to encourage the people of his town to hold on to their lands, taking photos of wild thyme and sharing them in social groups to remind everyone that the land is alive, waiting for those who would embrace and defend it.
Sinjil, a town surrounded by patience and resistance
Sinjil, a town with around eight thousand residents, suffers under a suffocating settler siege. Colonies have devoured thousands of dunums of its land, and it is encircled by five settler outposts. The town’s main entrance has been closed for months, and the separation fence built by the occupation cuts off more than five thousand dunums from their owners, as the land seizure continues for expansive colonial projects.
Yet, despite the siege and years of oppression, Sinjil continues to give birth to men like Wael Ghafari — men who believe that land is not protected with words, but with sacrifices.
A legacy that will not fade
In his farewell, Sinjil decided to honor its martyr by launching projects that carry his name: reclaiming the land he defended, organizing a sports tournament in his memory, and ensuring that his name remains etched on the collective memory’s wall.
