Israeli colonists torch agricultural land in Ramallah-district town

RAMALLAH: Israeli colonists today torch Palestinian agricultural land in the town of Beitin, east of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to local sources. They said that colonists, under Israeli occupation forces' protection, attacked the eastern part of the town, setting fire to the dry grasses around inhabited houses. Video footages that have gone viral on social media show local youths attempting to put out the fires, with plumes of smoke rising from the area. Israeli soldiers prevented the town residents from fending off the colonists' attack and obstructed their efforts to extinguish the fire. Colonist violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli occupation authorities. Colonist violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others. Over 700,000 Israeli colonists are living in colonies across occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in violation of international law. Source: Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA