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Sinjil, Ramallah District: Settlers cut down olive trees and chased harvesters off their land with a drone

Sinjil, Ramallah District: Settlers cut down olive trees and chased harvesters off their land with a drone

One of the young trees the settlers broke in the olive grove. Photo courtesy of local residents
One of the young trees the settlers broke in the olive grove. Photo courtesy of local residents

On Tuesday, 29 October 2024, at around 7:15 A.M., Naser Khalil, 52, a farmer from the village of Sinjil, went with his wife, 48, to harvest olives on their land north of the town. When they arrived, they discovered their 50 olive trees had been vandalized. The younger trees were broken beyond repair, and the older ones were partially damaged. They also found cow dung on the ground. They suspected this was caused by the cattle herder who set up an outpost on their land.

Shortly after arriving, they noticed a drone flying above them, and five minutes later, a vehicle arrived from the direction of the settlement of Giv’at Haro’eh. The farmers escaped in their vehicle, and as they drove past the other vehicle, they saw five settlers sitting inside. The settlers shouted at them to stop and swore at them, but the farmers managed to get away.

Their plot of land yielded about ten cans of olive oil annually in past harvests.