Israeli military bulldozers uprooted Palestinian olive trees in Deir Nizam, near Ramallah, days before the annual harvest. A landowner said all trees on nearly nine acres shared with neighbors were uprooted; the military had not responded to Reuters by Wednesday evening.
The harvest usually begins in the first week of October. The Palestinian Authority agriculture ministry says olives are the backbone of Palestinian agriculture, a sector that accounts for around 8% of GDP and more than 60,000 jobs.
In the past, the military has cited clearing olive trees as necessary to prevent security threats or ambushes on troops. Palestinian human rights groups reject that rationale, saying the destruction deprives farmers of income from olives and olive oil and uproots trees they see as a symbol of their connection to the land.
