Israeli settlers today destroyed and uprooted hundreds of newly planted olive and grape seedlings in the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, it was reported Wafa news agency.
According to the local Palestinian activist, Ahmad Salah, a group of extremist Israeli settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Elazar, broke into a farm near the village and vandalized nearly 250 olive trees and 150 grape trees belonging to Yousef Musa. he is a Palestinian farmer.
Settler violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the occupied West Bank and rarely condoned by the Israeli authorities.
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Over 700,000 Israelis live in Jewish-only settlements throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law. All Israeli settlements and the settlers who live there are illegal under international law.
Ahmad added that illegal settlers also attacked other farms near the village.
The olive harvest is the main source of income for thousands of Palestinian families. Israeli settlers have been responsible for destroying thousands of olive trees in the occupied territories over the years, mainly around the harvest season to maximize the damage and the effect on the owners.
The olive trees are a symbol of the Palestinian attachment to their land. Resistant to drought, growing under poor soil conditions and living and bearing fruit for hundreds – even thousands – of years, the trees represent Palestinian resistance and resilience against Israel’s brutal military occupation.
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