Israeli Forces cut down olive trees, seize Palestinian farmland to build new road for settlers

The Israeli Occupation Forces this morning cut down 12 olive trees and proceeded to level vast acres of Palestinian farmland with military bulldozers in the village of Farkha, located to the south-west of Salfit.

According to Wafa news agency, the Israeli soldiers also levelled hundreds of dunums of land belonging to the local Palestinian resident, Suleiman Rizkallah, in Farkha village.

Mustafa Hammad, head of the Farkha village council, explained that Israeli bulldozers stationed at the Al-Ras colonial outpost have been imposing raids with bulldozers for three consecutive days.

The olive harvest is the main source of income for thousands of Palestinian households. Illegal Israeli settlers have been responsible for destroying thousands of olive trees in the Occupied Territories over the years, primarily around harvest season to maximise the damage and effect on the owners.

Olive trees are symbolic of the Palestinian attachment to their land. Drought-resistant, growing in poor soil conditions, and living and bearing fruit for hundreds – even thousands – of years, the trees represent Palestinian resistance and resilience in the face of the brutal Israeli military occupation.

The Israeli Occupation’s target, Mustafa added, is to impose a colonial plan that requires constructing a new road in the Al-Batin area, which will link it to the Al-Matwi area situated to the north-west of the village to facilitate the Israeli settlers’ access to these regions.

READ: Israeli settlers destroy whole crop of olive trees and burn Palestinian farms

Moreover, he emphasised that Israeli authorities plan to use the construction of the road to impose further control, in order to establish additional colonial initiatives.

He urged local, international and legal authorities with the relevant jurisdiction to safeguard the region and support the endeavours aimed at preventing such land seizures.

Tensions in the Occupied West Bank have escalated significantly since 7 October after the Palestinian Resistance initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack, including infiltrations into Israel.

The Resistance said the offensive was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.