The Israeli military has uprooted approximately 3,000 olive trees in the village of al-Mughayyir near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The destruction is part of a broader effort by Israel to forcibly displace Palestinians and seize their land.
According to the head of the local council, the Israeli army issued an order to remove the trees from a 0.27sq-km area citing security concerns about a main settlement road. However, villagers argue that the measure is designed to push them off their land.
The village has been under lockdown since Thursday after an Israeli settler claimed he was shot at in the area. Since then, over 30 homes have been stormed by soldiers, resulting in property damage and vehicle destruction.
Israeli military actions in the West Bank are part of a long-standing pattern of land seizure and displacement. For decades, Israel has uprooted olive trees, a vital symbol of Palestinian culture, as part of its efforts to acquire Palestinian land.
The recent surge in Israeli violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has led to significant human rights abuses. According to UN figures, over 2,370 settler attacks have been reported, with 585 incidents in the Ramallah area alone. At least 671 Palestinians, including 129 children, have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers during this period.
Palestinian researcher Hamza Zubeidat views the destruction of al-Mughayyir’s olive trees as part of a broader attempt to evict Palestinians from their land. “This is just a continuous process of eviction,” he said. “Uprooting trees, confiscating water springs, and blocking access to farms means more food and water insecurity for the Palestinian population.”
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/23/israeli-military-uproots-thousands-of-palestinian-olive-trees-in-west-bank