QALQILIA, January 16, 2017 (WAFA) – Israeli forces Monday started to uproot hundreds of olive trees belonging to Palestinians in an area to the east of Qalqilia under the pretext of opening a road designated for the sole use of settlers residing in illegal West Bank settlements.
Member of Fatah Revolutionary Council, Bayan al-Tabeeb, said Israeli forces declared the area a closed military zone before proceeding to uproot the olive trees to open a 3-kilometer long road intended for the sole use of settlers.
One of the landowners, Mousa al-Tabeeb, said the total number of trees intended to be uprooted is around 2000 trees, including 500-year-old trees.
The land is the main source of income for many families in the area. Farmers said that such measure would cause them devastating economic losses.
T.R./M.K.
