Israel settlers uproot dozens of olive trees in village near Nablus

Illegal Israeli settlers today uprooted dozens of olive trees in the village of Al-Lubban Al-Sharqiya near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, reported Wafa news agency.

Yaqoub Awis, head of the village council, stated that Israeli settlers cut down the trees in the Saria area, southeast of the village, targeting lands vital to Palestinian livelihoods.

Local Palestinian residents reported to Wafa that these attacks are part of ongoing settler aggression in the region, often accompanied by the establishment of illegal outposts and other measures aimed at displacing Palestinian communities.

The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, based in Ramallah, revealed in its 2024 annual report that settlers carried out 451 attacks on Palestinian trees last year, damaging or uprooting a total of 14,212 trees, including 10,459 olive trees.

Hebron Governorate experienced the highest level of destruction, with 3,980 trees affected, followed by Bethlehem with 3,791 and Nablus with 2,737 trees targeted.

These ongoing attacks form part of a broader campaign of violence and environmental harm aimed at undermining Palestinian presence and agriculture in the occupied territories.

Estimates indicate that about 700,000 Israeli settlers are living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the occupied West Bank, adjacent to East Jerusalem. Under international law, all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023.

According to UN OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 8 January 2025, 813 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

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