Israeli occupation forces issued orders on Friday to uproot hundreds of olive trees in the town of Tuqu’, southeast of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, in what local officials warn is a prelude to land confiscation for colonial expansion.
According to Tuqu’ mayor Tayseer Abu Mofarreh, occupation troops posted written notices on olive trees and the facades of nearby homes, demanding the removal of trees lining the town’s main western entrance road, stretching south toward the al‑Halkoum area and Marah Rabah.
The targeted strip extends for nearly one kilometer and includes land belonging to families across the town.
Abu Mofarreh stressed that the trees are ancient, many over 35 years old, and that the measure threatens to extend to other groves, effectively stripping residents of their agricultural heritage.
He described the move as part of a systematic attempt to seize land under false pretexts and repurpose it for settlement expansion.
The order comes amid a wider pattern of Israeli actions against Palestinian agriculture in the Bethlehem governorate, where olive groves — a cornerstone of livelihood and cultural identity — have been repeatedly uprooted, burned, or bulldozed.
Human rights groups have long warned that such measures amount to collective punishment and are designed to erode Palestinian presence on the land.
