For 2nd time in days, Palestinians accuse settlers of damaging crops

For the second time in three days, the Yesh Din rights group reports that Palestinian farmers arrived at their crops to find them damaged, allegedly by neighboring settlers.

Today’s incident took place in As-Sawiya near Nablus where some 35 olive trees and saplings were destroyed.

A similar report was publicized by Yesh Din on Wednesday when Palestinian farmers arrived at their crops in the nearby Kafr Qaddum and found a similar number of trees destroyed.

“Over the past two weeks, in the midst of the plowing season, we have heard numerous reports from Palestinian farmers about the destruction, of their olive trees in private plots across the West Bank,” says Yesh Din CEO Lior Amichai in a statement.

“These acts are extremely disturbing and many farmers who are prevented from reaching their lands throughout the year and who only now are being allowed access in coordination with the army, are being exposed to the severe damage for the first time,” he adds. “The decision by Israeli authorities to turn a blind eye and even passively approve such crimes is what allows the rioters to repeatedly damage Palestinians and their property [without consequences].”

כ-35 עצי זית הושחתו בא-סאוויה: תחקירן @YeshDin מדווח כי חקלאי מא-סאוויה, שמאחז רחלים הוקם סמוך אליו, הגיע היום לחלקתו וגילה ש-35 עצי זית לפחות נכרתו במהלך הימים האחרונים.

בתמונה: החלקה והעצים הכרותים. ניתן גם לראות מאחז ארעי, התפשטות מתוך מאחז רחלים הסמוך.
צילום: מועצת א-סאוויה pic.twitter.com/7B90d13Xd6

— Lior Amihai (@lioramihai) April 24, 2020