RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Dozens of Israeli settlers set fire on Thursday to more than 100 olive trees in Mikhmas village southeast of Ramallah.
Local witnesses told Ma’an that settlers from the illegal Ma'ale Mikhmas settlement adjacent to the village set fire to agricultural land before vacating the area.
The Mikhmas village council condemned the attacks and called for support in protecting land from settler violence.
A report by the Palestinian Authority found that settler violence increased "dramatically" in June 2011, documenting 139 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank and the destruction of over 3,600 olive trees and vineyards.
Annual figures compiled by Israeli rights group Yesh Din have repeatedly shown that nine out of 10 police investigations about settler crimes fail to lead to a prosecution.
