Jewish settlers, on Tuesday, uprooted and stole more than a dozen olive trees in Masafer Yatta, south of the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil), the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
According to Fouad Al-Imour, a local activist, a group of Jewish settlers cut the fence surrounding a 2-dunum plot of land and stole around 30 olive saplings.
Fatima Salama Al-Harimi (90 years) sits under the olive trees, where she does not leave during daylight hours for fear of settler attacks. Fatima was displaced in 1948 and 1967, and today she lives in the village of Al-Tuwani in Masafer Yatta. #SavaMasaferYatta pic.twitter.com/aTTl65haCg
— Juve Muhammad (@JuveYildiz) August 17, 2021
The South Hebron Hills are located in Area C of the occupied West Bank. The area is subject to Israeli control and Palestinian residents are often targeted by illegal Jewish settlers.
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, noted in his press briefing last month, “Settler-related violence remains at alarmingly high levels, amid continued tensions over settlement expansion and the annual olive harvest season.”
An old #Palestinian woman cries after her home was demolished by the Israeli occupation forces in Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/NPVzE0nS6j
— Chris Hutchinson (@ChrisHu34451470) January 15, 2022
He added that “since the harvest began on 4 October, some 3,000 olive trees have been damaged or have had their harvest stolen.
“Physical attacks on Palestinian farmers, volunteers and humanitarian staff have also been recorded, some reportedly taking place in the presence of Israeli Security Forces.”
According to the Israeli human rights movement, Peace Now, there are about 666,000 settlers, 145 large settlements and 140 outposts in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. All are illegal under international law.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
