The Israeli occupation authorities seized 25,365 dunums of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, destroyed 2931 dunums of land and 17,755 trees, and demolished 93 water wells and tanks, among others during 2021, today said the Palestinian Land Research Center (LRC) in a report.
It said 12,911 dunums of land were seized by 37 military orders, 1986 dunums by colonial settlers either directly or to expand settlements and to use them for agricultural purposes, and 19,166 dunums by the military planning committee to expand illegal settlements, a large part of which is located outside the settlement limits.
Regarding the destruction of land and property, LRC said 2021 dunums of land were swept by sewage water, 116 dunums razed, 140 dunums torched, 83 dunums used by colonial settlers to herd their cattle, 10 dunums during military training, 18 dunums by chemicals and 543 dunums were sabotaged.
LRC said the occupation authorities and settlers committed 225 acts of vandalism against trees destroying as a result 17,755 trees, including 13,845 completely destroyed and 915 olive trees stolen. The rest were partly destroyed.
The Israeli occupation forces also destroyed 93 water wells and tanks that benefitted 1050 people, including 450 children and 470 women, and irrigated more than 1800 dunums of agricultural land that are currently going dry.
The Center said 86 other wells and water reservoirs are currently under threat of destruction by 80 military orders, some for demolition and others by stop-work orders, benefiting 835 people, including 384 children and 255 women, and irrigating 1000 dunums of farmland.
LRC said 74 illegal Israeli colonies dump their wastewater at Palestinian agricultural land damaging 2021 dunums of land, many of which are planted with olive or other trees.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)