On Wednesday morning, some Israelis uprooted nearly 45 olive saplings from a Palestinian-owned land, in Yasuf village, north of Salfit city in the occupied West Bank, Quds News Network reported.
The owner of the land said that Israelis from a nearby illegal settlement uprooted about 45 olive saplings, aged two years old, from his land in the Yasuf village.
The owner of the land added that they had also uprooted over 15 olive trees from his land, last month.
Palestinians plant around 10,000 new olive trees in the West Bank each year, most of which are of oil-producing varieties.
According to United Nations monitors, more than 4,000 olive trees and other tree crops have been burned or removed by Israelis in 2020 only. The committee against the wall and settlement said Israelis uprooted, broke, and damaged 6507 trees in 869 operations in 2020.
Olives are Palestine’s most important crop, whose oil is exported around the globe and whose annual harvest is a crucial source of income for thousands of farming families.
Olive cultivation contributes up to $100 million in income for some of the poorest Palestinian communities, OXFAM once said in a report.