Israeli Settlers Plunder Palestinian Olive Groves in West Bank

Nablus, MINA – Palestinian farmers accuse Israeli settlers of looting their olive crops in the occupied West Bank.

Nour Rashid, a farmer in the village of Salem, east of the city of Nablus, said Israeli forces allowed Palestinian farmers to enter farmland to harvest their olive trees.

“But we found that our olives were stolen by the settlers,” said Rashid as quoted from Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

Rashid said he owns 60 dunums (15 hectares) of land planted with olive trees near the Elon Moreh settlement.

“All my olive crops were looted and the settlers were the only suspects,” he said.

The Israeli side has not yet commented on Rashid’s statement.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army prevented Palestinian farmers from reaching their farms near Israeli settlements to harvest their crops.

Palestinian farmers complain of increasing settler attacks, especially in areas adjacent to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates show that there are about 650,000 settlers in West Bank settlements, including the occupied Jerusalem, living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts.

International law regards the West Bank and East Jerusalem as occupied territories and considers all Jewish settlement building activity there illegal. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)