Originally published on Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific.
When bulldozers rolled into Hebron on July 31st and destroyed Palestine’s only national seed bank, they weren’t just tearing down a building; they were attacking a living archive of Palestinian resilience, heritage, and ecological wisdom.
The Multiplication Unit of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), located in the West Bank, served as the only national seed bank in Palestine, housing native, adaptive seeds passed down through generations. These seeds are the foundation of Palestinian agriculture, adapted to the region’s climate, and are essential to sustaining local farming communities under occupation and siege.
This was what the inside of UWAC looked like before it was attacked
In a single day, Israeli forces used heavy machinery to demolish the unit’s storage facilities and infrastructure, stripping Palestinian farmers of the tools, seeds, and materials they need not only to grow food but to preserve their independence and cultural identity.
As Abeer Al Butmeh from PENGON/Friends of the Earth Palestine explains, “While Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, the hidden war in the West Bank is flaring up. The violence in the West Bank has been steadily increasing, with tens of demolishing operations held daily targeting Palestinian houses and facilities. Even the bank for seeds was not spared.”
Taken the day of the attack
This assault is not an isolated event. It is part of a broader strategy of erasure and displacement. Farmers across Palestine already face devastating restrictions: water resources controlled by Israeli authorities, land confiscation, settler violence, and import barriers. With the destruction of the seed bank, even the ability to reproduce local, climate-resilient crops is now under threat.
Why does this matter beyond Palestine?
Because food sovereignty and the right of peoples to define and control their food systems are essential to justice, self-determination, and survival, especially under occupation. Seeds are not just biological material; they are repositories of ecological knowledge and cultural continuity. By destroying these seeds, Israel is not only attacking biodiversity but attempting to sever a people’s connection to their land and their future.
Replacing native seeds with water-intensive or corporate-controlled farming models pushes Palestinians further into dependency and ecological vulnerability. It is a form of environmental injustice that echoes across borders.
At Friends of the Earth International, we denounce this attack in the strongest terms. We call on our members, allies, and all those in the global movements for environmental, climate, and social justice to demand accountability from Israel and stand in solidarity with Palestinian farmers and civil society organizations.
We cannot allow the erasure of local ecological knowledge to go unnoticed. Food sovereignty is not a luxury; it is a right. And in Palestine, it is under attack.
Written by Rasha Abu Dayyeh from Friends of the Earth Palestine/PENGON