The speaker at the Annual Garden Party of the Harpenden United Nations Association this year on 9 July was the Right Reverend Richard Llewellin, and many members and friends came along to renew acquaintance with him and his family and to listen to his talk.

The very popular former Rector of St Nicholas Church and former Bishop of Lambeth, spoke of his experience as a human rights observer in a project known as the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme and how he lived for three months close to a checkpoint which is in the barrier which almost encloses Bethlehem and separates it from what Israelis call Greater Jerusalem.

But before Bishop Richard told his listeners more about the programme organised by the World Council of Churches to provide support for, and encouragement to, Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, he told them about a remarkable Palestinian whom he had come to know during his stay in the West Bank

His name is Daoud Nassar. Daoud is the Arabic for David.

He and his family own a small hill top farm a few miles south-west of Bethlehem. It has been in his family since his grandfather bought the land in 1916, that is during the First World War and when Palestine was under Turkish occupation as part of the Ottoman Empire. The plot of land was completely uncultivated - virgin soil. But Daher, Daoud's grandfather, knew that the land, if worked properly, could produce vines and olives and other fruit trees. And indeed, it was not long before the farm became so productive that the family was able to make their own wine and export it abroad.

This family has lived under four successive occupations:

* the Turks until 1917 when the British took over under a League of Nations Mandate.

* The British withdrew hastily in 1948, leaving the Jews and Arabs to sort themselves out. This led to the immediate declaration of the State of Israel and the first Arab Israeli war, a war which the Israelis describe as their War of Independence and the Palestinian Arabs describe as the Nakba, their catastrophe.

* The Jordanian Army crossed into the West Bank in support of the Palestinian Arabs, and remained in control of the West Bank after the cease fire and armistice. That is when the so-called 'Green Line' was drawn between Israel and the West Bank.

* In 1967 Israel completed its occupation of Palestine by conquering the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights.

Four successive occupations - Turkish, British, Jordanian and Israeli. None of them particularly enjoyable. But only during this last occupation has there been a concerted effort by the occupying power to deprive Daoud and his family of their land.
This farm happens to be sited almost exactly in the centre of one of three large areas of land within the West Bank designated by Israel as land for building Jewish settlements. Let me explain. You will know that since 1967 the Israeli government has been building what amounts to new towns in the West Bank, mainly on land confiscated from the Palestinians, towns in which to house immigrant Jews, Jews that have come from all over the world and who have an automatic right of entry into Israel by virtue of their Jewishness. These settlements are illegal under international humanitarian law. This law, to which Israel has subscribed, states that an occupying power cannot transfer any of its population into its occupied territories.

Nevertheless, and in spite of promises to the contrary made by the Israelis during peace negotiations, the construction of settlements within the West Bank has contínued apace. These settlements now dominate many parts of high ground within the West Bank and are, of course, surrounded by the separation barrier which snakes its way well into Palestinian territory to claim for Israel not only the land on which these new towns have been built, but also a great deal of adjoining farm land. And most of this land has simply been confiscated from Palestinians.

Why, then, has Daoud's farm not simply been taken by the Israelis, without let or hindrance, like a great deal of other Palestinian land? The Israelis are keen to carry out their acquisition of Palestinian land under the semblance of legality. It has not been difficult for them in most cases. Both under Turkish and Britísh rule, ownership of land was required to be registered. But registration meant the paying of taxes. Many Palestinian Arabs did not register their land properly, or only registered only a small part of it, in order to avoid paying land tax. This neglect was to cost their children and grandchildren dear in the years to come. The Israeli government sets about confiscating land by first declaring it to be 'state land'. It is then up to the owner to prove his ownership. He can only do so by producing all the correct title deeds. Most Palestinians cannot do this, even though their ownership is well-known. Daoud's grandfather had the wisdom and foresight, and also the honesty, to register all his land properly, to pay his taxes and to see that the title deeds were in safe keeping.

In spite of this, the legal battle to prove the ownership of their land still continues, and is unresolved after 20 years. The level of proof that the courts have continued to demand, the legal obstacles put in the family's way, and the huge costs of meeting the requirements of the courts, are a story in itself.

Meanwhile, other pressures have been put on the family to persuade them to leave their land.

One strategy has been that of intimidation. Jewish settlers from the nearby settlements have on several occasions attacked the farm. They have uprooted trees, damaged water cisterns and threatened the family with their guns. This kind of harassment is not unusual. Settler harassment is very widespread in the West Bank against Palestinian farmers.
Another strategy is that of isolation. As I have said, the farm is now surrounded by a number of Israeli settlements. It is the only piece of property in the immediate area under Palestinian control. It is on high ground, with a very pleasant view, particularly to the west where, on a clear day, one can see right across to the Mediterranean Sea. The Israelis have attempted to isolate the property in a number of ways. Anyone coming to the farm discovers that the approach road has been blocked by the Israeli army in two places with large boulders and rubble, and that the road itself has been damaged. The farm has been denied all access to water and electricity, freely available to the surrounding settlements. All water for the farm is now collected in rainwater cisterns, and the electricity is now generated by solar panels, generously given by a German organisation. In addition, the family are denied all permits to build on and improve the farm. There are nine demolition orders pending on structures on the farm that have been erected without a permit - permits that are impossible to obtain. 1 am not talking about substantial buildings, but simply tent frames for visiting volunteers and shelters for the animals. When I last visited the farm, the two brothers, Daher and Daoud, were digging out and building an underground garage and storage room - underground, in the hope that it would escape detection and demolition by the Israelis.

At every conceivable level, considerable pressure is being put upon the family to abandon their property.