Israeli settlers uproot 30 olive saplings near Salfit in occupied West Bank
Occupied West Bank (QNN)- Israeli settlers today uprooted and stole nearly 30 olive saplings for a Palestinian farmer in the village of Bruqin, near the town of Salfit in the occupied West Bank, local sources said.
Witnesses told WAFA that a group of settlers sneaked their way into a ranch near the village, where they uprooted 30 olive saplings and stole farming equipment belonging to Yousef Sabra, a local Palestinian farmer.
There are nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
Palestinians plant around 10,000 new olive trees in the West Bank each year, most of which are of oil-producing varieties.
However, Palestinians see the destruction of their trees as a way for the occupation to erase Palestinian identity and force them to cede more land to Israel.
The committee against the wall and settlement said Israeli forces uprooted, broke, and damaged 6507 trees in 869 operations in 2020.
