Israeli Illegal Settlements Damage To Palestinians' Zaitun Gardens In The West Bank

West Bank/DOK UNRWA

JAKARTA - Israeli illegal settlers revoked hundreds of year old olive trees in Qaryut village, the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian farmers and activists on Wednesday.

"About 2,000 dunam (two square km) of gardens are now empty of olive trees after the illegal settlers cut hundreds of trees," Bashar al-Qaryuti, an anti-residential activist told Anadolu as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, October 30.

He said farmers found the trees had been removed after they received permission from the Israeli army to visit their plantations near the Eli settlement.

"Most of the trees are hundreds of years old," he added.

Mohammad Badawi, a farmer, called the removal of the hundreds of years old olive tree "a real disaster."

"I lost 30 of the 100 trees to the settlers," he said.

"For years, we have faced intimidation and cruel treatment from Israeli settlers," Badawi continued.

According to data from Palestine, Israeli illegal settlers have carried out 16,663 attacks on Palestinian citizens and land as well as property throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October last year.

While data from the Israel Peace Now anti-residential group shows there are about half a million illegal settlers in 146 settlements and 224 posts outermost in the West Bank.

Tensions have risen across the occupied West Bank region as a result of Israel's brutal attack on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023.

763 Palestinians were killed and nearly 6,300 injured by Israeli soldiers in occupied territory, according to the Ministry of Health.

This escalation follows an important opinion in July by the International Court declaring Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian soil "illegal" and demands emptying of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.