About 2000 trees perish in Yatta town near Hebron
Wednesday June 27, 2007 12:47
by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News

Israeli military force set ablaze large plots of olive tree on Wednesday in "Tal Zev" area of Yatta town near Hebron in southern West Bank.

Local farmers and owners of the fields reported that the fire blazed in their fields located near Israeli military base "Zev" and said that more than 2000 olive and almond trees perished in the fire.
One farmer said that Israeli forces destroyed hundreds of dunums in the fire that lasted five hours. The burnt fields have been off limits to the Palestinian owners as Israeli soldiers prevented farmers from reaching them for the past five years. The Israeli force carried out the fire to grab the land and prepare it for expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the area, he said.