Illegal Israeli settlers uproot nearly 200 olive trees in new West Bank attack

Illegal Israeli settlers uprooted nearly 200 olive trees in Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank on Monday, a Palestinian farmer said.

“I rely entirely on agriculture and have been subjected to settler attacks for several years, including beatings and tree uprooting,” Muhammad Makhamreh, a farmer from the town of Susiya in Masafer Yatta, told Anadolu.

“The settlers seek to clear the land of trees and leave it uncultivated to facilitate its confiscation under the pretext that it is unused.

“No matter what happens, we will replant the land and remain on it, and we will not leave it to the settlers,” the defiant Palestinian man said.

On Sunday, illegal Israeli settlers uprooted and destroyed about 180 olive and citrus trees in the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank.

Settler attacks in the West Bank have been escalating, targeting Palestinians, homes, and properties, while they continue to establish illegal outposts.

Monday's attack came hours after Israeli setters set fire to a security site containing systems that help prevent attacks and maintain security in the Benjamin Brigade area in the central West Bank, the army said.

Palestinian figures show that at least 415 settler attacks were recorded last month across the occupied territory.

According to Israeli government data, illegal settlers staged 414 attacks against Palestinians in the first half of this year, up 30% from 2024.

Palestinian reports indicate that by the end of 2024, the settler population in the West Bank reached around 770,000, spread across 180 settlements and 256 outposts, of which 138 are classified as pastoral and agricultural.

Settlements are established with the approval of the Israeli government, while outposts are built by illegal settlers without government approval; all are considered illegal under international law.

Since the start of Israel's assault on Gaza in October 2023, at least 986 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The International Court of Justice last July declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.