Israeli bulldozers uproot olive trees near Ramallah

Israeli military bulldozers uprooted Palestinian-owned olive trees near Ramallah shortly before the annual harvest, according to accounts from residents and landowners. Reports describe tree-clearing in Beit Rima and Deir Nidham, but the available information does not establish whether those accounts concern one operation or separate sites, or provide a verified total for the trees removed in Deir Nidham. In Beit Rima, in the northwestern Ramallah area, local officials and residents said bulldozers uprooted about 400 olive trees and cleared 31 dunams of land, equivalent to 3.1 hectares. The operation followed military orders issued two days earlier targeting two areas for removal of vegetation and trees, according to the accounts. Afrah Qadura, a Beit Rima resident, said landowners had been given 12 hours to remove trees themselves before the military carried out the order. In Deir Nidham, near Ramallah, farmer Abd Alfattah Tamimi said the military uprooted trees on his family’s land and neighboring plots. He and his neighbors owned nearly nine acres of olive groves, according to his account.