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On Thursday, June 26, 2025, Israeli settlers launched yet another coordinated incursion into Palestinian agricultural lands near the city of Nablus. According to local reports and observers on the ground, the settlers not only uprooted dozens of olive trees—many of them mature—but also began constructing makeshift structures that marked the emergence of an illegal outpost on privately owned Palestinian farmland.
This act was not a spontaneous outburst of lawlessness. It follows a long-standing pattern of settler activities aimed at systematically displacing Palestinian communities through a combination of direct violence, environmental sabotage, and the strategic seizure of land.
The olive tree is far more than an agricultural commodity in the Palestinian territories. It is a symbol of resilience, heritage, and economic survival. The trees destroyed on Thursday were part of longstanding family groves that had sustained generations. Farmers in the area of Qaryut and nearby villages have now reported that close to 70 olive trees were either felled or burned during the assault.
This is not the first such incident. However, the timing—on the eve of a critical period for land cultivation and harvest preparations—suggests a calculated effort to inflict economic harm while facilitating the expansion of settler presence in the area.
What sets this particular incident apart is the speed with which settlers transitioned from destruction to occupation. Within hours of clearing the trees, makeshift shelters and perimeter markers had appeared, demarcating the perimeter of what is expected to become a new settler outpost.
Eyewitnesses report that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), stationed nearby, not only refrained from intervening but appeared to provide security cover during the incident. This has sparked further outrage, particularly as the establishment of outposts is illegal under Israeli law—yet enforcement remains largely symbolic when it concerns settler violations.
The newly established outpost is unlawful under both Israeli and international law. However, the precedent set by similar cases suggests that it is unlikely to be dismantled. Instead, such structures often gain de facto legitimacy through political inertia, only to later receive formal recognition.
For Palestinian residents, the implications are severe. The loss of agricultural land, the risk of further settler violence, and the fear of permanent displacement continue to mount. The area around Nablus—particularly towns like Qusra, Qaryut, and Kafr Malik—has seen a sharp increase in settler-related incidents since the beginning of 2025.
The destruction of olive trees is also an environmental issue. Many of the uprooted trees are decades, sometimes centuries old. Their removal not only disrupts ecosystems but contributes to soil erosion and desertification in a region already vulnerable to climatic extremes.
In human terms, the psychological toll is equally devastating. The olive harvest season, once a cultural highlight and a source of collective pride, is now marked by dread, as farmers must often approach their fields under military escort or not at all.
Despite mounting documentation by NGOs and international observers, there has been little to no judicial accountability for settler violence. Thursday’s events underscore the persistent imbalance in enforcement: Palestinians who defend their land face arrest, while settlers erect outposts without consequences.
Local councils and rights groups have urged the international community to not only condemn such acts but also pursue diplomatic channels to press for the dismantlement of the outpost and restitution for the affected families.
The events near Nablus on June 26 reflect a dangerous trajectory in the West Bank. The normalization of settler incursions, combined with environmental destruction and the strategic appropriation of land, poses a grave threat to the viability of a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Unless substantive action is taken, Thursday’s destruction will not remain an isolated incident—it will become another link in an unbroken chain of impunity, further entrenching occupation and undermining any hopes of peace.
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