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by IMEMC News
July 7, 2023

On Thursday, Israeli soldiers uprooted 340 olive trees in Rafat village, west of Salfit, in the occupied West Bank’s central part.

Local farmer, Nasheet Sabti Ayyash, said the soldiers uprooted 390 olive trees in his orchard and 50 olive trees in an adjacent orchard owned by Mer’ey Ayyash and added that the trees were planted 15-17 years ago.

Nasheet stated that after years of hard work and rehabilitation of his twelve-dunam land that cost thousands to get it ready, “the army came along, and within minutes, destroyed everything.”

On his part, Mer’ey said that he also rehabilitated his three-dunam orchard three years ago before the army issued orders barring him and Nasheet from working on their lands and added that the families still have pending cases in an Israeli court.

“We will not leave or abandon our lands, no matter what,” he said, “We will not allow them to take our lands, our sources of livelihood, away from us.”