‘They want to displace us’: Israel launches new demolition of West Bank olive groves

Israel has commenced a new demolition of West Bank olive groves, relocating Palestinian farmers and jeopardizing their livelihoods ahead of the olive harvest season. Palestinian militants expressed their concern over the Israeli actions, claiming that the government aims to displace them.

During the recent uprooting of trees by Israeli forces, Saleh Tamimi, a resident of Deir Nizam, expressed his agony at the remains of the olive trees he had nurtured for several years. The uprooted trees were scattered across a patch of land, along with stones and soil. Days prior, Tamimi's home was also issued a demolition order by the Israeli authorities. Tamimi underscored that he has no other place to go, even if his house were to be demolished, he would not leave his land.

The Israeli military has been issuing orders to Palestinians since the beginning of the year, demanding the removal of vegetation and uprooting of trees, targeting hundreds of dunams. In the month of September alone, 55 such orders were issued, affecting approximately 2,373 dunams. On September 20th, a military order was issued for about 99.79 dunams of land in Deir Nizam, mandating the uprooting of trees and vegetation.

In addition to Deir Nizam, another area targeted by Israeli forces was Beit Rima, where around 31 dunams of private land was bulldozed, uprooting more than 400 olive trees. The operation was carried out following a military order requiring the removal of the trees. Residents of Beit Rima, such as Hazem Rimawi and Afrah Sanaf, expressed their helplessness, as they were forced to watch their years of hard work and livelihood vanish in a matter of hours.