Jewish settlers today uprooted dozens of olive trees in the Masafer Yatta area to the south of Hebron (Al-Khalil), in the southern occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Local activist Fouad al-Amour told WAFA that settlers from the illegal settlement of Havat Maon uprooted around 50 olive trees belonging to the Rabei family in the al-Hamra area, east of Masafer Yatta.
War on nature: How Zionist colonialism has destroyed the environment in Palestine https://t.co/I6KAzwoedy
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) February 26, 2019
Al-Amour added that Palestinian residents were surprised today evening to find out that the settlers had cut off the fence surrounding the land and uprooted around 50 four-year-old olive trees.
Jewish settlers have been repeatedly uprooting olive trees in the area in recent years, aiming to force farmers out of their lands in order to expand existing settlements and implement new settlement projects.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
