Israeli colonists torch cultivated land east of Ramallah

RAMALLAH: Israeli colonists Friday evening torched a large tract of cultivated land belonging to the villagers of Burqa, east of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to a local official. Head of Burqa Village Council, Sayel Kanaan, said that a group of colonists made their way to the northwestern outskirts of the village and set fire to a tract of agricultural land, adjacent to the villagers' houses. He added that the assailants came from the nearby colonial outpost of Oz Zion. Immediately after the attack, the occupation forces stormed the village, firing barrages of concussion and tear gas canisters. The soldiers prevented Palestinian Civil Defense firetrucks and people from reaching the area to put off fire, causing it to extend to dozens of donums. Colonists' violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities. Colonists' violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive tr ees, 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 and Information Agency – WAFA