Settlers burned 1.2 million square meters of West Bank land

[Ma'anImages]
Ramallah Maan Israeli settlers residing illegally in the West Bank have set fire to more than 1,200 dunums (1.2 million square meters) of Palestinian land in a series of recent attacks, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture said on Sunday.

Settlers have gone on the offensive since the spring, attacking Palestinian farmers particularly in villages surrounding the cities of Nablus and Hebron.

The statement was issues as settlers set fire to more farmland near the West Bank town of Beit Ummar on Sunday. The mayor of the town said that large areas of large areas of olive, almond, and grape fields were burned.

The ministry also expressed concern about recently-announced Israeli plans to confiscate 139,000 dunums of land stretching from the eastern edge of Bethlehem to the Dead Sea (including land in the villages of Al-Ubeidiya, Ar-Rashayida and At-Taamara), and the area of Nabi Musa, which is to be annexed by the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim.

The ministry also noted that, in spite of international pressure, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved the construction of 50 new housing units in the settlement of Adam, in addition to 300 houses in the settlement of Benyamin.

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php...tails&ID=39197