2,000 olive trees uprooted by Israeli forces uproot in West Bank
Israeli forces uprooted and destroyed some 2,000 olive trees in the Palestinian village of Qarawat Bani Hassan in the northern occupied West Bank, according to local media.
Ibrahim Assi, the mayor of Qarawat Bani Hassan, said soldiers stormed al-Awarid, an area north of the village, declared it a closed military zone, then proceeded to bulldoze the area, of around 300 dunams (o.3 square km), in an operation that lasted for more than five hours.
Assi said Israeli forces destroyed stone walls, “stole the olive trees they uprooted”, and sprayed chemical pesticides over olive, grape and almond saplings.
“Occupation forces are carrying out another ugly massacre against olive trees,” after having uprooted 3,000 trees in the Deir Ballout town, west of Salfit, in January 2021, Assi was quoted as saying.
The olive harvest season, which runs between October and November, is a lifeline for 80,000 to 100,000 Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank.
According to UN data, almost half of Palestinian agricultural lands are planted with an estimated 10 million olive trees in the West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip.
Palestinian farmers are often restricted by Israeli authorities from accessing their lands that are close to settlements or the separation wall.
2,000 olive trees uprooted by Israeli forces uproot in West Bank
Farmers and their lands are also the target of repeated attacks by settlers, which include physical assault, vandalism and theft, especially during harvest seasons, according to the UN.
