Palestinian farmers in the West Bank village of Deir Nizam near Ramallah faced significant losses after Israeli military forces uprooted a large number of olive trees just days before the annual olive harvest. The operation, which took place on Wednesday, destroyed around 3.6 hectares of olive groves belonging to local residents, including new and mature trees.

Abd Alfattah Tamimi, one of the affected landowners, described witnessing the uprooting of his trees by military bulldozers. “All our olive trees, including the newly planted ones, were uprooted. Also our neighbours’, they uprooted them all,” he said, expressing the distress felt by the community. Another resident, Nather Tamimi, highlighted the timing of the destruction, noting it came just ahead of the harvest season, which typically begins in early October. He added that trees were uprooted even in residential areas.

The Israeli military has, in the past, justified such actions by citing security concerns, including the need to prevent potential attacks or ambushes on troops. However, Palestinian human rights groups dispute these claims, arguing that the removal of olive trees effectively undermines Palestinian farmers economically and severs their symbolic ties to the land. Olive cultivation is a vital part of Palestine’s agricultural sector, which contributes about 8% to the gross domestic product and provides over 60,000 jobs, according to the Palestinian Authority’s agriculture ministry.

The uprooting of the trees represents not only an immediate loss of income from the sale of olives and olive oil but also a setback to longstanding agricultural practices integral to Palestinian communities in the region.