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href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/battle-between-israel-palestine-being-fought-olive-fields-100-trees-torched-1471595">http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/battle-between-israel-palestine-being-fought-olive-fields-100-trees-torched-1471595</a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">Palestine: Jewish Settlers Torch 100 of
World's Oldest Olive Trees</h1>
<div id="reader-credits" class="credits">Tabatha Kinder -
January 25, 2018</div>
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<p>Israeli settlers in the northern occupied West Bank
have razed to the ground huge swathes of
Palestinian-owned agricultural land in the town of
Huwara, according to reports.</p>
<p>The fields were set on fire by "masked settlers", <a
rel="nofollow"
href="http://www.worldbulletin.net/world/146806/jewish-settlers-torch-palestinian-olive-grove-in-w-bank"
target="_blank">Al-Resalah newspaper reports</a>, who
snuck on to the land and poured petrol on it before
setting it alight. Around 100 olive trees were destroyed
in the blaze, which spread as locals were prevented from
attending the fire by Israeli forces.</p>
<p>Olive trees in Israel hold vast religious and cultural
significance to both Jews and Palestinians. As well as
being the livelihood of many Palestinian farmers, the
trees are thought to be the <a
href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/oldest-olive-trees-garden-gethsemane-jerusalem-396817"
target="_blank">"oldest on Earth" </a>and are
mentioned in the Old Testament numerous times.</p>
<p>Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane near the Old
City of Jerusalem are believed to be up to 900 years old
and belong to the same lineage as the olive trees among
which Jesus Christ prayed the night before his
crucifixion.</p>
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<p>The mayor of Huwara said that Israeli occupation forces
prevented Palestinian citizens from reaching the lands
in order to extinguish the fire.</p>
<p>However the Jewish press in Israel is reporting that
the cause of the fires is unknown and Israeli and
Palestinian fire crews "worked together" to put out the
blaze.<a rel="nofollow"
href="http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Firefighters-battle-blaze-in-Yitzhar-settlement-379477"
target="_blank"> The Jerusalem Post </a>reports that
police are investigating the incident.</p>
<p><strong>Clashes in harvest season</strong></p>
<p>In previous weeks, the owners of the fields have also
reportedly being banned from working the land without
being escorted by occupation forces, which means they
have been unable to harvest the olive trees.</p>
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<p>Huwara has witnessed continuous clashes between Israeli
settlers and Palestinians due to its proximity to the
Yitzhar settlement, where around 20,000 Jewish people
live in 39 Jewish-only settlements.</p>
<p>"Palestinian residents, for their part, complain of
repeated attacks by settlers, who usually enjoy the
protection of Israeli military personnel", Anadolu news
agency reports.</p>
<p>Attacks on agricultural land are widespread at this
time of year – the start of the olive harvest season –
and several Palestinian towns have seen their crops
stolen, olive trees cut and lands confiscated, <a
rel="nofollow"
href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/14832-settlers-burn-100-olive-trees-near-nablus-in-the-occupied-west-bank"
target="_blank">says Middle East Monitor.</a></p>
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