Nablus (In Palestine Today)- Israeli settlers earlier on Monday (22 August 2021) torched dozens of olive trees in the town of Burin south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, local sources said.
Local sources said that the settlers broke into a Palestinian-owned land in the area, and torched dozens of olive trees planted there.
The land belongs to the Palestinian resident Akram Omran.
Palestinians plant around 10,000 new olive trees in the West Bank each year, most of which are of oil-producing varieties.
However, Palestinians see the destruction of their trees as a way for the occupation to erase Palestinian identity and force them to cede more land to Israel.
According to United Nations monitors, more than 4,000 olive trees and other tree crops have been burned or removed by Israeli settlers and forces in 2020.
The committee against the wall and settlement said Israeli forces uprooted, broke, and damaged 6507 trees in 869 operations in 2020.
There are nearly 700,000 Israeli settlers living in 256 illegal settlements and outposts scattered across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
