The Friday Edition
Palestine: Jewish Settlers Torch 100 of World's Oldest Olive Trees
Source: International Business Times
By Tabatha Kinder
Updated October 24, 2014
Israeli settlers in the northern occupied West Bank have razed to the ground huge swathes of Palestinian-owned agricultural land in the town of Huwara, according to reports.
A photo taken during a previous attack on Palestinian olive trees near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Yitzhar in April 2013. (Reuters)
The fields were set on fire by "masked settlers", Al-Resalah newspaper reports, who snuck on to the land and poured petrol on it before setting it alight. Around 100 olive trees were destroyed in the blaze, which spread as locals were prevented from attending the fire by Israeli forces.
Olive trees in Israel hold vast religious and cultural significance to both Jews and Palestinians. As well as being the livelihood of many Palestinian farmers, the trees are thought to be the "oldest on Earth" and are mentioned in the Old Testament numerous times.
Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane near the Old City of Jerusalem are believed to be up to 900 years old and belong to the same lineage as the olive trees among which Jesus Christ prayed the night before his crucifixion.
A potent symbol of peace and harmony, the olive tree has become a source of confrontation and violence in the decades-old conflict that pits Israelis against Palestinians (Reuters)
The mayor of Huwara said that Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestinian citizens from reaching the lands in order to extinguish the fire.
However the Jewish press in Israel is reporting that the cause of the fires is unknown and Israeli and Palestinian fire crews "worked together" to put out the blaze. The Jerusalem Post reports that police are investigating the incident.
Clashes in harvest season
In previous weeks, the owners of the fields have also reportedly being banned from working the land without being escorted by occupation forces, which means they have been unable to harvest the olive trees.
A Palestinian boy stands next to Israeli left wing activists as they plant olive trees in an area that local Palestinians claim Jewish settlers uprooted olives trees last year in West Bank village of Mughaiyir in January 2011 (Reuters)
Huwara has witnessed continuous clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians due to its proximity to the Yitzhar settlement, where around 20,000 Jewish people live in 39 Jewish-only settlements.
"Palestinian residents, for their part, complain of repeated attacks by settlers, who usually enjoy the protection of Israeli military personnel", Anadolu news agency reports.
Attacks on agricultural land are widespread at this time of year – the start of the olive harvest season – and several Palestinian towns have seen their crops stolen, olive trees cut and lands confiscated, says Middle East Monitor.
LATEST OPEN LETTERS
-
23-12Tens of thousands of dead children.......this must stop
-
05-06A Call to Action: Uniting for a Lasting Peace in the Holy Land
-
28-05Concerned world citizen
-
13-02World Peace
-
05-12My scream to the world
-
16-11To Syria and Bashar al-Assad
-
16-11To Palestine
-
24-10Japan should withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN), WHO's controlling parent body, to protect the basic human rights and lives of its citizens.
-
09-08Open Letter to António Guterres: Will the UN Protect Our Rights and End Our Suffering?
-
09-06Urgent Appeal
VIRTUAL POST OFFICE
PETITIONS
LINKS
DONATION
Latest Blog Articles
-
24-12I am living my own Nakba
-
24-12Inside ‘Greater Israel’: myths and truths behind the long-time Zionist fantasy
-
24-12'We Need to Protect the Palestinians in the Name of a Shared Future,' Says Israeli-German Philosopher Omri Boehm
-
23-12The Evangelical Pope | Do Not Fear the Other
-
19-12Our Friday News Analysis | What the World Reads Now!
-
18-12Our Wednesday News Analysis | Death feels imminent for 96% of children in Gaza, study finds
-
17-12Death feels imminent for 96% of children in Gaza, study finds
-
17-12Opinion | Israelis Feel the War Is Over. For Gazans It's a Different Story
-
17-12Genocide Israel is living in the past
-
16-12The Evangelical Pope | The Gospel of Life is for All Humanity
-
12-12Our Friday News Analysis | What the World Reads Now!
Latest Comments
-
One of the most important and illuminating articles that I …
Comment by Benjamin Inbaraj -
And what's wrong here?
After all, there is the homeland …
Comment by Isac Boian -
Does this reinforce or deny my argument that Israel is …
Comment by Edward Campbell -
Many 'say' they support the Palestinian cause but do little …
Comment by Philip McFedries -
The UN is strangled by the "war for profit" cabal …
Comment by Philip McFedries -
I can't read the printing on the map.
Comment by Philip McFedries -
Good news!
Comment by Philip McFedries
COMMENTS
This article has 0 comments at this time. We invoke you to participate the discussion and leave your comment below. Share your opinion and let the world know.