Hebron: Israeli colonists on Monday uprooted above 150 olive trees in Masafer Yatta, south of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, according to a media activist. Osama Makhamra reported that Palestinian farmers were shocked to discover that more than 150 olive trees belonging to Mohammad and Ahmad al-Mahamda in Khirbet At-Tabban were vandalized, and parts of the fence surrounding their land were cut off.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, there has been an increase in attacks by Israeli colonists in Masafer Yatta, aiming to forcibly displace the indigenous Palestinian inhabitants. Groups of armed colonists roam Masafer Yatta at night, assaulting defenseless Palestinian civilians and sabotaging their property.
Colonists' violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities. Such violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others. Approximately 1 million Israeli colonists are living in colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law.
