JENIN, August 16, 2011 (WAFA) – Israeli soldiers set fire Tuesday night to tens of Dunums of the Palestinian lands planted with olive trees in East Barta, a village behind the Separation Wall, southwest of Jenin, in the northern West Bank.

Director of the directorates of civil defense in Jenin and Tubas, lieutenant colonel Sami Hamdan told WAFA, “The Israeli soldiers prevented the civil defense crew from putting out the fire, and detained them on the village's checkpoint, indicating that the village's residents assured that the Israeli soldiers set the fire to the Palestinian lands because they are close to their military camp.'

He added that 'the Israeli authorities prevented the civil defense crew from putting out the fire that was set by settlers in the surrounding area of the evacuated ‘Homish’ settlement, earlier today.'

He also told WAFA that the Israeli soldiers are still deliberately obstructing the civil defenses crew from doing their job.

M.G./F.R.