Camille Naredo

A Palestinian man looks at olive trees reportedly uprooted by Israeli soldiers using a bulldozer in the occupied West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir, north of Ramallah, on August 24, 2025. Zain Jaafar, AFP

A Palestinian man looks at olive trees reportedly uprooted by Israeli soldiers using a bulldozer in the occupied West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir, north of Ramallah, on August 24, 2025. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

Article (news)

WEST BANK

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756054139081AFP__20250824__72BH8AU__v4__MidRes__PalestinianIsraelConflictAgricultureLand.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A Palestinian man looks at olive trees reportedly uprooted by Israeli soldiers using a bulldozer in the occupied West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir, north of Ramallah, on August 24, 2025. Zain Jaafar, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A Palestinian man looks at olive trees reportedly uprooted by Israeli soldiers using a bulldozer in the occupied West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir, north of Ramallah, on August 24, 2025.<em> Zain Jaafar, AFP</em></span></span></span></div><p>AL MUGHAYYIR, Palestinian Territories -- Israeli bulldozers uprooted hundreds of trees in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir on Sunday in the presence of the Israeli military, according to AFP journalists who witnessed the scene.</p><p>Most of the felled vegetation appeared to be olive trees, essential to the economy and culture of the West Bank, while olive groves have also long been a flashpoint for violent clashes between farmers and encroaching Israeli settlers.</p><p>Abdelatif Mohammed Abu Aliya, a local farmer from the village near Ramallah, said he lost olive trees that were over 70 years old on about one hectare of land.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/24/-far-too-late-palestinians-despair-after-un-declares-famine-in-gaza-0843">READ: Palestinians despair after UN declares famine in Gaza</a></div><p>&quot;They completely uprooted and levelled them under false pretenses,&quot; he said, explaining he and other residents had already begun replanting the pulled-up trees.</p><p>AFP photographers on the ground saw overturned soil, olive trees lying on the ground, and several bulldozers operating on the hills surrounding the village.</p><p>One bulldozer had an Israeli flag, and Israeli military vehicles were parked nearby.</p><p>&quot;The goal is control and forcing people to leave. This is just the beginning -- it will expand across the entire West Bank,&quot; said Ghassan Abu Aliya, who leads a local agricultural association.</p><p>Residents said the bulldozing began on Thursday. A Palestinian NGO reported 14 people had been arrested in the village over the past three days.</p><p>When asked about the incident, the Israeli army told AFP they were looking into the matter.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/22/israel-vows-to-destroy-gaza-city-if-hamas-doesn-t-disarm-free-hostages-1530">READ: Israel vows to destroy Gaza City if Hamas doesn&#x27;t disarm, free hostages</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Heavy price&#x27; -</strong></div><div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAFz8gWM8iRADsJr&amp;cid=ABfWvxr5HsWUeV0U"></script></div><p>In a statement issued Friday, the army said it had arrested a man from al-Mughayyir, accusing him of being &quot;responsible for a terrorist attack&quot; nearby.</p><p>On August 16, the Palestinian Authority reported that an 18-year-old man had been shot and killed by the Israeli army in the same village.</p><p>The army said its forces responded to stones thrown by &quot;terrorists&quot; but did not directly link the incident to the young man&#x27;s death.</p><p>In a video widely circulated in Israeli media on Friday, a senior military commander refers to the attack in al-Mughayyir and vows to make &quot;every village and every enemy... pay a heavy price&quot; for attacks against Israelis.</p><p>Avi Bluth, the military&#x27;s top commander in the West Bank, says in the video that the villages of Palestinian attackers could face curfews, sieges and terrain &quot;shaping actions&quot; with the aim of deterrence.</p><p>Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the war in Gaza began following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/8/20/israel-defense-minister-approves-plan-to-conquer-gaza-city-1645">READ: Israel approves plan to conquer Gaza City, calls up reservists</a></div><p>Since then, at least 971 Palestinians  -- including both militants and civilians -- have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the West Bank, according to AFP figures based on Palestinian Authority data.</p><p>In the same period, at least 36 Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, have been killed in attacks or military operations in the West Bank, according to official Israeli sources.</p><p>The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, is home to about three million Palestinians and 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Israeli bulldozers uprooted hundreds of trees in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir on Sunday in the presence of the Israeli military, according to AFP journalists who witnessed the scene.</p>

Israeli bulldozers uprooted hundreds of trees in the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir on Sunday in the presence of the Israeli military, according to AFP journalists who witnessed the scene.

Israeli bulldozers uproot hundreds of trees in West Bank village

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Israeli bulldozers uproot hundreds of trees in West Bank village

Agence France-Presse

Published Aug 25, 2025 01:53 AM PHT

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Israel

West Bank

Palestine

olive trees

al-Mughayyir

Ramallah

Palestinian Authority

agriculture

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