OCHA: Within two weeks of October, Israeli settlers vandalized 1600 olive trees in West Bank

Within two weeks, Israeli settlers have destroyed or stolen the harvest from over 1,600, mainly olive, trees, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It said in its biweekly Protection of Civilians report covering the period between 5 and 18 October, that since the start of the annual olive harvest on 12 October, over 1,400 trees, mainly olive trees, have been vandalized or had their crops stolen in villages around Nablus, Hebron, Salfit and Ramallah, as indicated by Palestinian farmers, eyewitness and landowners, in some cases supported by reports from the Ministry of Agriculture. Many of these trees were planted on Palestinian-owned land near settlements. The remaining 200 damaged trees were reported by their owners, just before the start of the season.

Four Palestinians were also injured when stoned by Israeli settlers who raided the village of Burin, near Nablus, and caused damage to houses and trees. A woman was pepper-sprayed by settlers, who also stoned other Palestinians picking olives in Yasuf village, also near Nablus.

Settlers also vandalized several cars in Marda, in the Salfit district, and Beit Iksa and the Silwan neighborhood, both in Jerusalem area.

During the same reporting period, OCHA said that Israeli occupation forces shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy and injured and arrested another. The incident occurred on 14 October, near the Tunnels Checkpoint, which controls access from the southern West Bank to the Jerusalem area.

Overall, and during the reporting period, Israeli forces injured 159 Palestinians across the West Bank. The majority, 115, were wounded during regular protests against settlement activities near Beita (90) and Beit Dajan (25) in the Nablus governorate.

Increased violence was recorded around the old city of Jerusalem, where many were injured or arrested. Overall during the reporting period around the old city, 24 Palestinians were hit by sound grenades or rubber bullets shot by Israeli forces and 19 Palestinians were arrested.

During the reporting period, Israeli forces carried out 113 search-and-arrest operations and arrested about 150 Palestinians across the West Bank. The most affected governorate was Jerusalem.

The Israeli occupation authorities also demolished or seized 23 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C of the West Bank on the grounds of lacking Israeli-issued building permits, displacing four people. The displaced were in the herding community of Al Zaayyem, near Jerusalem. Twelve structures, mainly residential, were dismantled in Ras at Tin herding community in Ramallah, affecting 50 people.

An estimated 350 farmers and their families were affected by the demolition of a paved agricultural road in Tayasir community, in the Jordan Valley. The remaining demolitions included livelihood structures in Haris, near Salfit, and Main, in the Hebron district.

Source : Safa