Israeli occupation forces continued, for the fourth consecutive day, the destruction of Palestinian agricultural lands west of Deir Ballut, west of Salfit in the central occupied West Bank, as bulldozers uprooted hundreds of olive trees and expanded work on a colonial road linking an illegal Israeli outpost in the area.
Deir Ballut Mayor Jihad Al-Qassem said Israeli bulldozers are carrying out extensive land-leveling operations in the western part of the town, where hundreds of dunams of privately owned Palestinian farmland are being targeted for the construction of a colonial road intended to connect an illegal outpost established on Palestinian land.
Al-Qassem said the ongoing work has already led to the uprooting of hundreds of olive trees, adding that local authorities have been unable to accurately assess the full extent of the damage because Israeli forces are preventing Palestinian landowners from accessing the affected area.
He added that residents attempted Wednesday to stop the bulldozers and prevent further destruction of their lands, but Israeli soldiers assaulted them and detained several Palestinians.
The latest destruction began several days ago when Israeli forces escorted military bulldozers into the Wadi ar-Rayat area west of Deir Ballut and started leveling large sections of agricultural land as part of ongoing efforts to expand colonial infrastructure in the area.
Deir Ballut has long faced escalating Israeli violations linked to colonial expansion. Palestinian farmers routinely encounter restrictions on access to their lands, while residents in the town’s western areas have reported increasing pressure from both Israeli forces and illegal colonizers.
In recent years, several Palestinian families were forced to leave their lands following repeated attacks, harassment, and restrictions associated with nearby colonial outposts.
The ongoing destruction is part of a broader pattern of Israeli land confiscation and colonial expansion throughout the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian agricultural lands are frequently targeted for the construction of colonial roads, military infrastructure, and the expansion of illegal colonies and outposts, measures that rights groups say further restrict Palestinian access to land and threaten the livelihoods of rural communities.
Israeli forces begin bulldozing Palestinian land in Deir Ballut
Army Bulldozes Dozens of Dunams of Palestinian Land Near Salfit
