Jewish settlers set dozens of trees on fire

Jewish settlers set dozens of trees and olive saplings on fire South of Bethlehem at dawn Sunday. Ahmed Salah, the coordinator of the popular committee against settlement in Al-Khader town, said that settlers from the settlement of Efrat started the fire, PIC reported. He said that 20 fruitful trees and 70 olive saplings owned by a Palestinian farmer near Al-Khader were destroyed in the resultant blaze. Salah underlined that settlers’ attacks on Palestinian farmers and their lands had escalated recently to coincide with the harvesting season. The farmers were deprived of harvesting their crops in many areas, Salah said, adding that farmers wait for the harvesting season all year round since for many of them it is the only source of income.