During the past three days about 780 trees in Palestinian olive groves and vineyards in al-Khader town south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank were destroyed or uprooted by Jewish settlers.
Local activist Emad Daadou said that settlers on Saturday destroyed and cut off more than 200 grapevine trees in Vaghour area of the town belonging to a farmer called Mohamed Abu al-Kat’ah.
Last Friday settlers wreaked havoc on 300 grapevine trees in the town’s Zakandah area which is located between the illegal settlements of El’azar and Neve Daniel. The vineyard belongs to farmer Naser Marzouk.
200 fruitful olive trees and 80 grapevine trees were chopped off or destroyed by settlers in an agricultural area near El’azar settlement. The groves belong to farmers Marwan Salah and Anas Salah.
The area around al-Khader is marked by vineyards and olive and fig trees but encircled by several Israeli settlements which were built on confiscated Palestinian land.
Every once in a while settlers launch attacks on al-Khader residents and their property.
Incidents of terrorism and violence by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians and their property are a daily occurrence throughout the West Bank.
