BETHLEHEM, October 29, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli settlers Saturday chopped down olive trees near Nahalin, a village west of Bethlehem, said a local farmer.
Hani Fannun said a group of settlers stormed olive orchards in Wadi al-Hariq, near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, and used chainsaws to chop down 18 olive trees.
He said Israeli forces have been preventing farmers from accessing their lands for years.
They have also attempted to raze villagers’ lands, released wastewater into them and chopped down trees.
Settlers’ attempts are designed to force farmers to abandon their lands in order to seize them for settlement construction.
Hardly any settler has been arrested for destructive acts in the West Bank.
K.F./M.A.
