Illegal Israeli settlers destroy dozens of olive trees near occupied East Jerusalem

Illegal Israeli settlers damaged about 40 olive trees Sunday in the town of Mukhmas, northeast of East Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, according to local authorities.

In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate said illegal settlers raided the al-Hayy area of Mukhmas and cut down roughly 40 olive trees owned by a Palestinian resident.

The governorate described the attack as part of an ongoing pattern of violence targeting Palestinians and their land, adding that it followed the Israeli army's demolition days earlier of a park and playground in the town as pressure mounted to assert control over the area.

Illegal settlers recently established an outpost near Mukhmas that has become a gathering point and staging area for repeated attacks on local farmers and agricultural land, the statement added.

According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, an official body, illegal Israeli settlers carried out 621 attacks against Palestinians and property in the occupied West Bank in November.

Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,093 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained around 21,000 since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.