The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the IDF-backed attacks and violations committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinian olive tree farmers, and their private properties.

Violations were reported in several Palestinian areas, including the village of Jit in Qalqaliya, Al Sawiya in Nablus, and Nilin west of Ramallah.

The Ministry said in a statement released today that Israeli violations against Palestinian olive production are not a spontaneous or a sudden phenomenon, but rather an “extension of official Israeli policies attempting to exterminate any form of Palestinian life in Area C.”

Olive trees are considered to be blessed in Arabic and Islamic cultures, and a national symbol for Palestinians.

Palestinians often face difficulty attempting to reach their lands and their harvest as a result of the separation barrier and the multiple checkpoints farmers have to go through in order to reach their farms.

The statement said that Israelis only allow Palestinians a few days to tend to their crops, and that farmers often find their crops exterminated or destroyed.

Last week, Israeli forces prevented dozens of Palestinian farmers from the village of Nilin from reaching their lands to tend to their olive crops on the Israeli side of the separation barrier, despite having permits to enter the area.