RAMALLAH: Israeli colonists Tuesday evening chopped down olive trees in the Burqa village, east of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to a local official.

Sayel Kanaan, head of Burqa Village Council, said that Israeli colonists cut a number of olive trees in the Marj and al-Gharbi areas, belonging to farmers from Burqa and Beitin villages.

He added that the village has become the target of frequent attacks by colonists who sabotage cultivated farmlands.

Colonists’ violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities.

Colonists’ violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.

Over 700,000 Israeli colonists are living in colonies across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA