Abu Dis: Settlers burn 55 olive trees during harvest

Settlers burned approximately 55 olive trees, some over 40 years old, on land belonging to Ibrahim Ismail Abu Hilal in the Abu Dis wilderness area, southeast of Jerusalem. The incident occurred while the owner and his family were harvesting olives.

According to reports, individuals from a nearby settlement attacked the family, forcing them to retreat before returning to set fire to the trees, harvesting tools, and the collected olive crop. This event follows recent administrative actions where authorities declared hundreds of dunams in the Abu Dis and Arab al-Sawahira areas as ‘government property’ to facilitate the expansion of the Mishmar Yehuda settlement.

The attack coincides with the olive harvest season, during which farmers in the Jerusalem governorate, including the Wadi al-Rababah area in Silwan, have reported increased harassment, theft of crops, and physical assaults intended to prevent access to agricultural lands.