Israeli military uproots thousands of Palestinian olive trees in West Bank

Israeli demolition successful al-Mughayyir adjacent Ramallah is portion of propulsion to forcibly displace Palestinians, researcher says.

The Israeli subject has destroyed astir 3,000 olive trees successful a colony adjacent Ramallah successful the occupied West Bank, the caput of the section assembly says, arsenic Palestinians look a continued question of unit crossed the territory successful the shadiness of Israel’s warfare connected Gaza.

The Israeli subject issued an bid connected Saturday to uproot olive trees successful a 0.27sq-km (0.1sq-mile) country successful al-Mughayyir, a colony of astir 4,000 residents northeast of Ramallah.

The service justified the measurement by saying the trees posed a “security threat” to a main Israeli colony roadworthy that runs done the village’s lands.

The demolition was carried retired arsenic al-Mughayyir has been nether lockdown since Thursday aft an Israeli settler said helium was changeable astatine successful the area.

The lawman caput of the colony council, Marzouq Abu Naim, told Palestinian quality bureau Wafa that Israeli soldiers had stormed much than 30 homes since dawn connected Saturday, destroying residents’ spot and vehicles.

For decades, the Israeli subject has uprooted olive trees – an important Palestinian taste symbol – crossed the occupied Palestinian territory arsenic portion of the country’s efforts to prehend Palestinian onshore and forcibly displace residents.

The West Bank besides has seen a surge successful Israeli subject and settler unit since Israel launched its warfare connected Gaza successful October 2023, and tens of thousands of Palestinians person been forced retired of their homes.

Palestinian men cod wheat aft an onslaught by Israeli settlers successful al-Mughayyir successful May [File: Mohammed Torokman/Reuters]

More than 2,370 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians person been reported crossed the country from January 2024 to the extremity of July this year, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The highest fig of attacks – 585 – was recorded successful the Ramallah area, followed by 479 successful the Nablus portion successful the bluish West Bank.

At slightest 671 Palestinians, including 129 children, besides person been killed by Israeli forces and Israeli settlers crossed the West Bank successful that aforesaid clip period, OCHA said.

The Israeli subject did not instantly respond to Al Jazeera’s petition for remark connected Saturday connected the uprooting of the olive trees successful al-Mughayyir.

Hamza Zubeidat, a Palestinian researcher, said the demolition is portion of Israel’s “continuous” effort to unit Palestinians off their lands.

“We person to beryllium wide that since 1967, Israel is inactive implementing the aforesaid program of evicting the Palestinian colonisation from the countryside and the cities of the West Bank. What’s going connected close present is conscionable a continuous process of this eviction of Palestinians. It’s not a caller Israeli process,” Zubeidat told Al Jazeera.

He noted that al-Mughayyir has a agelong cultivation past and, similar different villages successful the West Bank, relies astir wholly connected agriculture and livestock arsenic its main root of income.

“This country wherever much than 3,000 olive trees [were] uprooted is 1 of the astir fertile areas successful this portion of the Ramallah area,” Zubeidat explained.

“Uprooting trees, confiscated h2o springs, blocking and preventing Palestinians from accessing their farms and h2o sources means much nutrient and h2o insecurity.”