Israeli settlers uproot, steal olive saplings from village in West Bank
Nablus (QNN)- Israeli settlers on Wednesday morning uprooted and stole dozens of olive saplings from Jalud village in Nablus south of the occupied West Bank.
Ghassan Daghlas, who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told WAFA that a group of settlers sneaked their way into al-Sheikh Bishr area in the village, where they uprooted and stole 40 olive saplings belonging to Rajeh Hamoud.
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.
Israeli settlers violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the occupied West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli occupation authorities.
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.
