Settlers destroy Palestinian olive trees [Happens Every Year This Time]

Reuters ^ | Nov. 27, 2005

[Alouette]

NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Jewish settlers cut down and uprooted hundreds of olive trees on Palestinian farms near the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, residents and Israeli police said.

Settlers from the most radical enclaves in the occupied West Bank have often attacked farms since the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000, in which settlers have often been targeted by militants.

Settlers say that the land, which Palestinians want for a state, is theirs by biblical birthright.

Residents of Salem said dozens of settlers from Elon Moreh chopped down hundreds of the town's olive trees, the main source of income for 5,000 residents.

"This is not the first time that settlers have cut down dozens of olive trees. Among them were trees more than 30 years old," said Adli Eshiya, a local councilor. Villagers said it was the sixth such attack this year.

Police said that at least 200 olive trees had been destroyed near Salem and that an investigation had begun.

A spokesman for Elon Moreh settlement, Benny Katsover, said he was not aware of the incident.

More than 245,000 settlers live in the West Bank, home to 2.4 million Palestinians. The World Court has said that all of Israel's settlements on land captured in the 1967 Middle East war are illegal. Israel disputes this.

Settlers' anger has grown more intense since Israel removed settlements from the Gaza Strip this year under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for breaking from conflict with the Palestinians.

Although Sharon has said he has no further plans for unilateral withdrawals, he has said that some isolated West Bank settlements would have to go under any eventual peace deal. Elon Moreh is one of the smaller settlements.

[Alouette]

A Palestinian woman embraces the trunk of an olive tree after it was destroyed as an Israeli troop looks on in the West Bank village of Salem, near Nablus November 27, 2005. Jewish settlers cut down and uprooted hundreds of olive trees on Palestinian farms near the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, residents and Israeli police said. Settlers from the most radical enclaves in the occupied West Bank have often attacked farms since the start of the Palestinian uprising in 2000. Settlers say that the land, which Palestinians want for a state, is theirs by biblical birthright. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini

Farmer Andy Scott oversees the pruning of an olive tree grove at Hidden Villa. The olive orchard was planted by missionaries in the early 1800s for oil. The trees are considered to be "incredibly resilient." Scott said the pruning is necessary because the overgrown trees have never been pruned, and the tall branches have intertwined, making selective branch pruning impossible and unsafe. Scott insists that the pruning, which looks dramatic, is being done to "save the heritage growth. We have to look for the long view. We'd like these trees to be here another 150 years."

Funny how California olive growers "destroy" their own trees the same way as the "eeville settlers" "destroy" Palestinian trees.

[ncountylee]

The Palestinians claim any spot where a MooseLimb took a dump as a holy area but ignore all history that doesn't fit their claims.

[Alouette]

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[ncountylee]

A Palestinian woman embraces the trunk of an olive tree

Priceless picture. ROFLMAO

[gedeon3]

Poor palestinians. At least they don't kill trees, which is a horrible thing to do; they just blow up innocent civilians.

[ScaniaBoy]

Alouette, please once again for someone with a very little brain. :)

Are you saying that this is the time of the year that the olive trees are pruned?
By the palis themselves?
Not evil settlers?

Obviously the tree trunk that the woman was hugging had not been "uprooted".

[mtbopfuyn]

America has Christmas Tree farms where, for a price, families make an outing specifically to chop down trees.

[SouthTexas]

From the link:

"In order to do this, the trees have to be pruned so they do not continue to fall, as many of our older trees are now doing. The canopy had become so heavy that limbs and trees were intertwined and were causing severe breakage. This was not only unhealthy for the trees, but a severe safety hazard. Experts recommended this work be initiated to save the grove. "

[VeniVidiVici]

The World Court has said that all of Israel's settlements on land captured in the 1967 Middle East war are illegal.

Anyone know why the WC has said they're illegal?

[Frenetic]

The muzzies are so ignorant, stupid and have no concept of agriculture that they can't possibly fathom how destroying the old growth of olive trees could possibly be beneficial so they use their own stupidity and ignorance to further foment hatred against the Jews who are vastly more intelligent and learned than they. The Israelis actually did the dumb bastards a favor, but it is no use. It’s kind of like trying to teach a turd not to stink.

[Alouette]

Anyone know why the WC has said they're illegal?

Jews live there.

[A. Pole]

Jewish settlers cut down and uprooted hundreds of olive trees on Palestinian farms near the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, residents and Israeli police said.

Good olive trees have to be grown for decades and they provide steady income for the families. American settlers were using analogical (comment for the more dense - other things than olive trees) tactics to uproot Indian tribes.

[LA Conservative]

/sarcasm on/She is obviously trying to pull the tree down in order to make the Israelis look bad, with the assistance from the media./sarcasm off/

[Minus_The_Bear]

try explaining this same concept to environmentalists. dumb as rocks.

[It's me]

Funny how California olive growers "destroy" their own trees the same way as the "eeville settlers" "destroy" Palestinian trees.

From the article:

. Jewish settlers cut down and uprooted hundreds of olive trees on Palestinian farms...

So, you are saying thatr it is ok that the settlers cut down and uprooted the trees?
That is a bit different than what the California Olive growers do, don't you think?

And no I am not a Palestinian sympathizer. I think you spun the facts just a bit.

[Rastus]

They ain't got to have big smarts cause instead they got big hearts. ;)

[A. Pole]

The muzzies are so ignorant, stupid and have no concept of agriculture

Still many Palestians are Christian (since the first century!) and they are being pushed out too (both by Muslims and Jews)

[Alouette]

The muzzies are so ignorant, stupid and have no concept of agriculture that they can't possibly fathom how destroying the old growth of olive trees could possibly be beneficial so they use their own stupidity and ignorance to further foment hatred against the Jews who are vastly more intelligent and learned than they.

The MEDIA is so ignorant, stupid, and has no concept of agriculture that they are shown a normally pruned tree and believe it when the Palies tell them it was "eeville settlers" who did it, thereby using the ignorance, stupidity and hatred of the MEDIA to cast false blame, magnify and broadcast their own hatred of the JOOOOZ.

It's a "twofer."

[A. Pole]

Jews live there.

Palestinians are in part of Jewish origin, especially Christians who are the descendants of the first Christians who were Jewish. Genetic studies support the close kinship between Jews and Palestinians.

[Alouette]

So, you are saying thatr it is ok that the settlers cut down and uprooted the trees?

No, I am saying that the "settlers" DID NOT CUT DOWN or UPROOT any trees.

Look at the pictures on Yahoo. When you find a picture of a CUT DOWN or UPROOTED tree, post it here.