IDF uproots hundreds of olive trees, razing groves in Palestinian West Bank village

 The Israeli military uprooted hundreds of olive trees in Qaryut, south of Nablus, in an area that, according to the village council, exceeds the boundaries set by an order citing "security measures" and signed by the IDF's West Bank commander.

The order, signed by Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth designated about 80 dunams (20 acres) of village land for uprooting, but according to the village council, soldiers uprooted trees on 150 dunams (37 acres) of land, only 13 dunams (3 acres) of which are defined as state land.

"The work reached the periphery of the houses and is also being carried out in Area B," the part of the West Bank under Palestinian civilian control but Israeli security control, the council said. "They are also destroying wells, not only the trees."

The order mandates the removal of "excess vegetation and to relocate the olive trees to an alternative location," but the IDF has not said where that site is.

Footage also shows that the olive trees were uprooted in such a way that their roots and branches have been destroyed, making it impossible to replant them. "The order talks about relocating, but all the trees have been destroyed by bulldozers," the council said

The uprooted trees remain on site, but the owners cannot reach them and attempt to rescue them. The council said the military threatened residents that "they would also destroy their houses" if anyone tried to approach the trees.

Under the terms of the order, the IDF is required to conduct a site visit with the property owners, and work can be carried out within seven days of the visit. The resident's appeals must be submitted within these seven days, but the village council said no site visit was held.

"We waited for the coordination notice, but two days ago we were surprised to see the bulldozers begin working over a very large area," a council source said. "The army didn't even honor its own order."

The Coordinator of Government Activities (COGAT) said that the order was issued on November 7 and sent to Palestinian Authority officials for the purpose of organizing a site visit by the landowners. "When no objections to the order were sent," COGAT said, "a site visit was not conducted."

However, the order states that objections must be submitted after the site visit. COGAT claimed in its response that site visits are usually carried out "only after the latter express their desire for it to the Palestinian liaison officers."

The uprooting, which began on Sunday and was still underway as of Tuesday, is being conducted by settlers guarded by soldiers, the village council claimed. "We see that this move aims to take over all of the lands west of the village."

"We are begging that they stop the work; they are destroying our lands and our lives," the council said. "They have strangled us from every direction, and for a very long time now, they have not allowed us to access our lands."

This is not the first time the IDF has violated its own procedures in Qaryut, according to the council. "For two years now, there's been a change in how these orders are enforced, and in the opportunity we're given to challenge them," the council said. "They're acting in violation of the very orders they issue, and in violation of the law and procedures."

The order was issued against the olive groves located between the western part of Qaryut and the "Hayovel" neighborhood of the nearby settlement Eli. The neighborhood was established in 1998 as an illegal outpost and was formally recognized in 2011.

A parcel of 189 dunams (47 acres) on which the settler neighborhood is located was declared state land, but development of the settlement was stalled as it is surrounded by cultivated Palestinian land, which, under the law, cannot be designated as state land.

In September, the IDF's Central Command ordered the expropriation of land for the purpose of paving a road encircling Eli and its neighborhoods, which would, in effect, enclose these Palestinian lands. Most of the road's route goes through Palestinian property, and includes the groves uprooted this week.

The IDF said the operation between the village of Qaryut and the settlement of Eli, carried out under a Civil Administration order on November 7, aimed to relocate olive trees and clear vegetation in line with local law. The military said the work was intended to "allow optimal operational control, and ensure an efficient deployment of forces."

The army added that a site-visit notice had been sent to the relevant Palestinian Authority officials, but no response was received. "Had the landowners responded to the notice, they would have been able to select an alternative site for relocating the trees, provided it was not within the boundaries of the security measures order or any other order," it said.

The military said the work was carried out in the approved site, as shown on the map attached to the order."