Israeli occupation forces uprooted nearly 400 olive trees on Monday after launching large-scale bulldozing attacks in the village of Budrus, west of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank’s central part.
The destruction targeted approximately 35 dunams of agricultural land adjacent to the separation wall built on the village’s territory.
Abdul-Nasser Marrar, head of the Budrus village council, stated that Israeli bulldozers invaded the western side of the village near the wall and began extensive leveling operations.
The lands included ancient olive groves, some trees decades old, uprooted under heavy military protection that prevented landowners from reaching their property or objecting to the destruction.
Marrar explained that the council had previously received notices from the occupation authorities ordering the bulldozing of lands near the wall.
The implementation began today, striking 35 dunams of olive groves considered the “olive basket” of Budrus and a vital source of livelihood for its residents.
He added that the bulldozing was carried out under the pretext of “security purposes,” a justification repeatedly used to seize agricultural lands near the wall and impose new realities that deny farmers access to their property.
The targeted lands belong to several families in the village who rely heavily on the olive harvest for their income.
Marar stressed that the targeting of lands adjacent to the illegal Annexation Wall is part of a systematic policy to expand buffer zones around the wall and reduce Palestinian agricultural areas, inflicting severe economic losses on farmers and threatening the living stability of affected families.
Budrus has faced continuous assaults by Israeli forces for years, particularly in areas near the Annexation Wall.
These include bulldozing land, uprooting trees, and preventing farmers from accessing their fields, in a broader strategy aimed at imposing new facts on the ground and undermining Palestinian agricultural presence.
