Israeli bulldozers destroy Palestinian olive groves just before harvest
Israeli army bulldozers destroyed Palestinian olive trees in Deir Nidham as the annual harvest season approached.
Israeli army bulldozers destroyed olive trees on family land in the West Bank village of Deir Nidham just as Palestinian farmers prepared for their annual harvest. Farmer Abd Alfattah Tamimi said the army destroyed olive trees on his land and his neighbours' plots.
The destruction started Monday and continued Tuesday. Nather Tamimi is another farmer.
He said his family typically produced about 120 drums of olive oil from the land each year. He told Reuters the timing was meant to cause the most damage.
The harvest season usually begins in October. Israel's military said it was checking a request for comment.
It had not responded by Wednesday evening. Palestinian human rights groups say the destruction takes away farmers' income.
It also removes what they see as a symbol of their relationship with the land.
- 120 drums per year
- Annual oil production
- October
- Harvest season start
- Deir Nidham, near Ramallah
- Village
- 21,508 trees including 19,375 olive trees
- Trees destroyed in August
Why it mattersThe destruction removes a major source of income for Palestinian farming families. It increases tensions over land access and resource use in the occupied territories.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, though the incident adds to global scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and may influence Australian views on the occupation.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 9 h ago
