Israel Uproots 400 Olive Trees in West Bank Ahead of Harvest

The Israeli military uprooted approximately 400 olive trees and bulldozed 31 dunams (about 7.6 acres) of Palestinian land in the town of Beit Rima, northwest of Ramallah in the central West Bank, on Thursday. Local sources reported that the action followed a military order issued two days prior, targeting two areas of the town's land and mandating the removal of vegetation and trees. The Israeli Committee for Combating the Wall and Settlements revealed on Tuesday that Israeli authorities had issued five military orders targeting tree uprooting and vegetation removal across a total of 533.5 dunams in the Jenin and Ramallah and al-Bireh governorates in the northern and central West Bank. According to the committee's data, Israel has issued 51 orders for tree and vegetation removal in the West Bank this year as of September 22, affecting around 2,093 dunams.

The uprooting occurred shortly before the olive harvest season, a primary income source for thousands of Palestinian families. Afrah Qaddoura, a 65-year-old resident, stated that landowners were given a 12-hour notice to remove the trees themselves before the army intervened. He described the targeted olive trees, some planted in the late 1960s and productive for decades, as central to the community's livelihood and deeply cherished. Qaddoura expressed determination to replant the trees despite the loss, emphasizing his family's generational connection to the land.

Abdulrahman Al-Rimawi, head of the Bani Zeid al-Gharbiya municipality, which includes Beit Rima, expressed shock at the uprooting of ancient trees, calling it an arbitrary Israeli practice against people, trees, and stones that harms Palestinian families' livelihoods. He appealed to international institutions to intervene and halt such decisions, noting that Israeli authorities provided no justification for the action. The incident highlights the broader context of Israeli policies affecting Palestinian land and agriculture in the West Bank, particularly as the region prepares for the October olive harvest.