Israeli forces today uprooted 200 olive trees in the village of Beit Dajan, to the east of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to local sources.
Salim Abu Jaysh, an activist, told WAFA that the Israeli soldiers and officers of the so-called Israeli Civil Administration escorted a bulldozer to the eastern part of the village, where the heavy machinery uprooted 200 olive trees planted on a 15-donum of land belonging to Saa’d Allan.
He added that the Israeli occupation authorities have already opened a settler-only road in the same tract of land to serve the new colonial settlement outpost in al-Thaghra area, east of the village. The razed land is part of 25,000 donums of lands that have been deemed off-limits to Palestinians the since the outpost was built 10 months ago.
Beit Dajan has become a scene for weekly protests against the Israeli authorities move to construct new colonial settlements and expand existing ones at the expense of Palestinian territory.
Located 12 kilometers to the east of Nablus city, Beit Dajan has a population of some 4,700 and occupies a total area of 44,100 dunams, including 360 donums of built-up area for the villagers. A large part of the village lands were seized for the construction of Al-Hamra and Mekhora (Mehola) colonial settlements, east and southeast of the village, in 1971 and 1973.
The village depends on grains plantation and fruitful trees, such as olive, figs and almonds.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency