Israeli occupation forces bulldoze Palestinian lands east of Qalqilia

Israeli occupation forces embarked today on bulldozing over 100 dunums of Palestinian-owned lands and uprooted around 150 olive trees in the villages of Imatin, Fara'ta, and Jit, to the east of Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources. Fathi Ghanem, the head of the Imatin Village Council, informed WAFA that the reason for bulldozing the lands by the Israeli occupation army is to make room for the expansion of the colonial Israeli outpost of Havat Gilad, illegally built on Palestinian lands in the province. Additionally, Ghanem added, the occupying Israeli army cut off approximately 150 olive trees in the area, some exceeding 50 years in age and owned by the Sawan family. Of note, colonial Israeli settlement construction in the occupied West Bank constitutes a grave violation of international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention which prohibits the transfer of the occupying entity's civilian population to the land of the occupied. Source: Palestine news and Information Ag ency – WAFA