BETHLEHEM, Israeli forces today seized a stone-cutting machine and damaged a digger in Beit Fajjar town, south of Bethlehem, according to a local official.

Deputy mayor of Beit Fajjar, Jalal Dairiyeh, told WAFA that an Israeli army force barged into the industrial area east of the town, widely renowned for its stone and marble production, forced the owners of the stone-cutting factories and workers to leave the area before seizing the stone cutting machine worth $175,000 and damaged a digger.

Located 14 kilometers south of Bethlehem with a population of some 15,000, Beit Fajjar mainly depends on the stone and marble industry, which absorbs 80% of the town workforce, because of its proximity to the major quarries in the West Bank.

Source: Palestine News & Info Agency