A group of Israeli settlers carried out an alarming act of destruction today, uprooting dozens of olive trees and causing damage to agricultural infrastructure in the village of Tuqu’, located to the east of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Taysir Abu Mufarreh, the Mayor of Tuqu’, said approximately 40 olive trees were uprooted in the wilderness area east of the village. These trees were co-owned by local residents Samir Mahmoud Jabril and Sameeh Le’mour. The settlers also vandalized doors of a sheep pen and demolished an agricultural room. The destructive actions extended to the installation of barbed wire fences as well. The town of Tuqu’, like many Palestinian communities, has been grappling with many hardships associated with colonial Israeli settlement expansion and the subsequent settler violence. International human rights organizations have consistently condemned such acts of destruction and have called for an end to settler violence against Palestinian communities. The actions taken by settlers not only undermine the livelihoods of Palestinians but also contribute to the ongoing cycle of tension in the region.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA