‘They want to displace us’: Israel launches new demolition of West Bank olive groves

What has been happening to olive groves and other vegetation in the affected West Bank villages?

Israeli military orders and bulldozers have targeted Palestinian olive groves, forest trees and other vegetation across several villages northwest and southwest of Ramallah. Families say trees planted and inherited across generations have been uprooted, while some homes and agricultural land have also received demolition orders. The campaign matters because olive trees provide income, food and a lasting connection to family land.

In Deir Nizam, bulldozers cleared family land owned since the 1960s. About 140 dunams had reportedly been cleared in the area. In Beit Rima, Israeli forces uprooted more than 400 olive trees from about 31 dunams. Orders commonly gave owners only 12 hours to remove the trees themselves, a demand residents refused.

The campaign has expanded as farmers prepared for the harvest, normally beginning in October. The article records 55 orders affecting about 2,373 dunams between January and September. Continued clearing could destroy at least 1,500 more olive trees in Beit Ur al-Fuqa, including some more than 200 years old.

What are the Israeli military orders, and what do they require Palestinian landowners to do?

The Israeli military orders described in the article are official notices targeting specified areas of Palestinian land. They demand that vegetation be removed and olive or other trees be uprooted. The orders matter because they can rapidly strip agricultural land of productive trees, threatening both livelihoods and families’ continued connection to their property.

For example, one order in Deir Nizam targeted about 99.79 dunams on 20 September. Four days later, another covered 94.79 dunams. Landowners were given 12 hours to remove the trees themselves. In Beit Rima, residents received a similar instruction before bulldozers cleared about 31 dunams and more than 400 olive trees.

Residents generally refused to uproot trees they had planted or inherited. Israeli forces then carried out the clearing with bulldozers, according to the article. The notices therefore function as a mechanism for removing vegetation quickly, often just before harvest, while placing affected families under severe time pressure.

How much land and how many trees have been affected by these orders and demolitions?

The article gives a clear measure of the land targeted, but not one complete total for every tree already destroyed. Between the start of the year and September, 55 military orders affected about 2,373 dunams. That exceeded the 47 orders covering 1,613 dunams during all of 2025. The figures show a sharp expansion in the area under threat.

Specific demolitions add detail. In Deir Nizam, about eight dunams of one landowner’s property were bulldozed, and residents said roughly 140 dunams in the wider area had been cleared. In Beit Rima, forces bulldozed about 31 dunams and uprooted more than 400 olive trees. Beit Ur al-Fuqa faced an order covering 29 dunams, though clearing reportedly reached about 60 dunams.

The article says continued operations in Beit Ur al-Fuqa could uproot at least 1,500 olive trees. That is a projected loss, not a confirmed total already removed. The orders also targeted more than 56 dunams in Kafr Malik, showing that the campaign extended beyond the villages with reported demolitions.

Why did the demolitions take place just before the olive harvest, and what happens to families when fruit-bearing trees are removed?

The timing was especially damaging because the olive harvest usually begins in October. Orders were issued in September, and several clearances followed within days. The article does not state an official reason for choosing this timing, but it shows the immediate effect: families lost fruit that was nearly ready to pick, along with the trees that would have produced future harvests.

In Beit Rima, Hazem Rimawi said the trees on his three-dunam plot were heavy with fruit when bulldozers removed them. He said the land and trees were his only source of livelihood. In Deir Nizam, families also lost trees they had watered, inherited and cared for over many years.

The consequences continue beyond one season. Olive trees take years to become productive again, so replanting cannot quickly replace the lost income. Families face reduced earnings, damaged food security and uncertainty about how to use land left without its trees. The destruction also weakens an important intergenerational asset.

Which authorities and communities are involved, and what events were cited in connection with some of the demolition orders?

The main authorities identified are Israeli military forces and Israeli authorities, which issued notices and used bulldozers. The affected communities are Palestinian landowners and residents in Deir Nizam, Beit Rima, Beit Ur al-Fuqa and Kafr Malik. Village councils and the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission helped describe the orders, affected areas and destruction.

The article links some orders to recent security incidents. On 20 September, after a settler was killed in a shooting near Deir Nizam, an order targeted about 99.79 dunams there. In Beit Ur al-Fuqa, an order followed a Palestinian car-ramming attack near a checkpoint that injured an Israeli soldier. Israeli authorities issued another order in Kafr Malik, targeting more than 56 dunams.

These reported connections show that demolition orders sometimes followed attacks or killings nearby. The article presents the consequences for Palestinian agricultural communities, but it does not establish that every order had the same trigger. Residents, meanwhile, described the removals as destroying livelihoods and inherited land.

What does it mean that the affected land is in the occupied West Bank, and how does that status shape control over land and movement?

The occupied West Bank is Palestinian territory captured by Israel in 1967 and still under Israeli military occupation, according to established international descriptions. In this setting, Israeli military authorities can issue orders affecting Palestinian land, while Palestinians do not exercise full sovereign control over planning, construction or security. That unequal authority shapes daily life and land use.

The article provides concrete examples rather than a full legal survey. In Deir Nizam, military orders required vegetation and trees to be removed from nearly 100 dunams, then another 94.79 dunams. Residents were given 12 hours to act. A demolition order was also issued against Saleh Tamimi’s home. These measures show how military control can directly affect property and residence.

The source does not give detailed examples of checkpoints, permits or movement restrictions. More broadly, occupation-related controls can limit access to farmland, construction and travel, making it harder for families to protect or cultivate their land. Here, the immediate documented reality is military authority over agricultural property and homes.

Why are olive trees especially important to Palestinian communities economically, culturally, and across generations?

Olive trees matter economically because they provide fruit, oil and seasonal income for Palestinian families. In the article, Hazem Rimawi says his land and olive trees were his only livelihood. When productive trees disappear, families lose the current harvest and a reliable source of future earnings. The land remains, but its economic value is sharply reduced.

They also carry cultural and family meaning. Nathir Tamimi said his family’s trees had been inherited from earlier generations. Afrah Sanaf described trees that had existed throughout his memory, while Ali Samara warned that some trees in Beit Ur al-Fuqa were more than 200 years old. Care, harvesting and inheritance connect relatives across generations.

That combination makes uprooting especially serious. A replacement tree cannot immediately restore income or recreate an old landscape. The article’s evidence shows why residents describe themselves as rooted like their olive trees. Destroying groves threatens livelihoods, family memory and Palestinians’ physical connection to land they say their families have long owned.

Key Facts:

📌 Orders affected about 2,373 dunams between January and September.

📌 More than 400 olive trees were uprooted in Beit Rima.

📌 Villages reported destruction of inherited olive and forest trees.

📌 Orders required vegetation and olive trees to be removed.

📌 Some landowners received only 12 hours to comply.

📌 Bulldozers carried out removals after residents refused.

📌 Fifty-five orders affected about 2,373 dunams by September.