The Israeli army used bulldozers to uproot Palestinian olive trees in the occupied West Bank, just days before the start of the annual harvest, leaving farmers mourning the destruction.
Abd Alfattah Tamimi, the owner of an olive grove on village land near Ramallah, said he saw a military bulldozer crush the top of one of his trees and then pull its roots out of the ground.
“All our olive trees, including those planted recently, were uprooted. The same happened to all the olive trees belonging to our neighbours,” Tamimi said, adding that he and his neighbours own almost nine stremmas of land filled with olive trees.
“They left us with nothing,” he said.
Israeli army reviewing request for comment
The Israeli army said it was reviewing Reuters’ request for comment, but had not responded by Wednesday evening.
In the past, the army has cited the need to clear land of olive trees in order to prevent security threats or ambushes against troops.
Palestinian human rights organisations reject this justification, saying the destruction deprives farmers of income from the sale of olives and olive oil. They also consider the uprooting of trees to symbolise Palestinians’ connection to the land.
Harvest begins in October
The olive harvest usually begins in the first week of October.
Olives form the backbone of Palestinian agriculture, a sector that accounts for about 8% of GDP and more than 60,000 jobs, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Palestinian activists and farmers expect this year’s harvest to be particularly vulnerable amid a record increase in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and Palestinian resources in the area.
‘They uprooted trees everywhere’
Nather Tamimi, another landowner in the area of the village of Deir Nizam, near Ramallah, said the loss of the trees was particularly painful because it occurred so close to the start of the harvest.
“From this land, my brothers and I produce 120 barrels of olive oil. Our neighbours produce the same,” Tamimi said, looking at his olive grove.
“They uprooted trees everywhere, even between the houses,” he added.
Source: CNA
