As Palestinians have been gearing up to celebrate holy Eid al-Fitr their joy has been marred by the arson attacks launched by Israeli settlers on their olive groves.
25 olive trees in Qaryout town south of Nablus were burned down by Israeli settlers residing in the adjacent Eileh settlement outpost illegally built on Palestinian land in the area.
At the same time Israeli settlers uprooted dozens of trees in Burin town near Yitzhar illegal outpost.
Palestinian farmer Mohamed Shahada from Qaryout said he was shocked as he caught sight of the ashes into which his trees were turned hours before the launch of harvest-picking.
He added that his land covers an overall area of 30 dunums.
Anti-settlement activist Bashar al-Qaryouti said the arson attacks were carried out as of Saturday evening near Eileh outpost. The Palestinian civil defense crews showed up at the scene to put out the blaze.
The Israeli settlers further uprooted over 50 olive trees in al-Mekwas area between Burin and Hawara south of Nablus.
The landowners said their cultivated land tracts have been ceaselessly targeted by extremist Israeli settlers residing in the adjacent Yitzhar outpost.
