Human rights groups have called on Israel to stop spraying herbicides along the Gaza border – a practice that is blamed for destroying Palestinian crops and causing health problems. RT spoke with a farmer affected by the policy.

Dubbed “farm warfare” by critics, Israeli authorities insist that they only spray Israeli crops with herbicides, but Palestinian farmers dispute this claim. Others have suggested that winds carry the dangerous chemicals, including glyphosate (which has been banned in many countries due to fears that it causes cancer), across the Gaza border into Palestinian territory. The latest case of “farm warfare” reportedly took place in December.

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Ahmed Badawi, a Palestinian farmer, told RT that his crops have been repeatedly contaminated and ruined by the uninvited herbicide sprayings.

“We don’t know what to do. It’s the same thing over and over again, every year," he said.

Their spraying ruins all the plants in the vicinity, and leaves nothing for us to harvest along the border. It also poisons people [and] makes them sick.

Badawi argued he has received no relief from the Israeli government. In contrast, there are cases where Israeli farmers affected by the spraying have been compensated for their losses, Samir Zaqout, from the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, told RT.

“That’s what we’re asking for Palestinian farmers on both sides of the border. They should be treated equally.”

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