Israeli settlers destroy 50 Palestinian olive trees in occupied Hebron

Israeli settlers destroy 50 Palestinian olive trees in occupied Hebron
Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees near occupied Hebron.
2 min read
10 February, 2021
Hebron is exceptionally hostile for Palestinians [Getty]
Israeli settlers on Tuesday evening uprooted scores of olive trees in a village near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, according to a local activist.

Israeli settlers from the illegal Israeli settlement of Havat Maon destroyed around 50 olive trees belonging to a local Palestinian family, Fouad Al-Amour told Palestinian media. A fence surrounding the land was also damaged.

The family resides in Hebron's Al-Hamra area, near At-Tiwani village, east of Masafer Yatta.

Israeli settlers have uprooted olive trees around Masafer Yatta in that past, with the apparent aim of forcing farmers off their lands and enable illegal settlements in the area to expand.

Hebron is a particularly hostile environment for Palestinians due to a large number of Israeli settlers in the city.

Palestinians in the occupied territories also live in fear of attacks from both armed Israeli settlers and soldiers.

Around 600 ultra-nationalist Israeli settlers live in the heart of Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank. The settler enclave is protected by twice as many Israeli soldiers.

Israel has occupied the West Bank illegally since 1967, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three zones: Area A, Area B and Area C.

Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B's administration is controlled by the PA, with Israel controlling security. Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.

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