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RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli settlers vandalized orchards in two Ramallah-district villages late Saturday, locals told Ma'an.

Settlers uprooted olive trees owned by Palestinian farmers and set fire to the groves in the central West Bank villages of Nabi Saleh and Deir Nidham, witnesses said.

Shortly after the settlers left, Israeli forces prevented the farmers from accessing their fields to put out the fire, locals told a Ma'an reporter.

The region's popular resistance committee said it would not be silent over settlers' attacks, and will continue popular activities.

Residents of Nabi Salih hold weekly Friday rallies to protest against Israel's confiscation of village lands by nearby Jewish-only settlements.