Settlers Burn Olive Trees Near Nablus

Monday November 15, 2010 18:00 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

A group of extremist Jewish settlers torched, on Sunday, at least 200 Palestinian olive trees that belong to residents of Salem village, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and also torched a number of nearby farms.

File - Photo AFP

Adli Eshtayyaa, spokesperson of the Salem Village Council, stated that the settlers were seen heading to Elone Moreh settlement after setting the trees ablaze.

Eshtayyaa added that the trees were planted in Palestinian lands adjacent to the settlement, and that Israeli soldiers prevent the local Palestinian villagers from reaching their orchards in that area.

Meanwhile, an army spokesperson stated that the army did not receive any complaints against the settlers, and that the “incident” is being dealt with as just a “fire” and not as a “deliberate act of vandalism”.

Dozens of complaints were filed last month after Israeli settlers used chainsaws to cut Palestinian trees, uprooted dozens of trees, torched trees and prevented the Palestinian villages from harvesting their trees.

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