Settlers damage dozens of olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmer in West Bank’s Burin

Dozens of olive trees belonging to a Palestinian farmer from the village of Burin in the northern West Bank were damaged early this morning, reports the Yesh Din organization, which campaigns against settler violence.

The group sends video footage of the incident in which masked individuals holding chainsaws and wearing tzitzit are seen leaving the olive grove where fires have been set near several trees.

The five young men are then seen walking back up to the yeshiva in Yitzhar, a settlement with a long history of extremism which lies just southwest of Burin.

Yesh Din says that dozens of trees were cut down and burned in the attack.

“The olive harvesting season will soon begin and the settlers are already damaging the olive trees which are the source of income for many Palestinians,” says Yesh Din following the incident.

“We demand that the army prepare properly, already now, to prevent damage to the trees and further agriculture violence and ensure the harvest takes place.”