Jerusalem: Illegal Israeli settlers raided two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Saturday and destroyed fruit-bearing trees, according to a human rights organization.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Bedouin rights group Al-Baydar reported that a group of illegal settlers raided Al-Maliha village, west of East Jerusalem, under police protection. During the raid, several residents were held by the settlers before being released later.
In a separate incident, Israeli settlers cut down trees in farmland located in Firasin village, north of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank. Al-Baydar highlighted that the land has been cultivated for years, serving as a primary source of livelihood for its owners.
These attacks, Al-Baydar noted, are indicative of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at putting pressure on Palestinian farmers and threatening their economic and social stability.
According to the Palestinian government's Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, illegal settlers have carried out 7,154 attacks across the West Bank since October 2023. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of 33 Palestinians and the displacement of 33 communities. Combined actions by settlers and the army have led to at least 1,072 Palestinian deaths and roughly 10,700 injuries during the same period.
In a landmark opinion issued last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.