Nablus: Israeli colonists on Wednesday uprooted 20 decades-old olive trees in the village of Duma, south of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, according to a local source. Suleiman Dawabsheh, Head of the Duma Village Council, stated that colonists stormed the village and chopped down 20 olive trees, each more than 20 years old, belonging to Amin Rashid Dawabsheh.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, colonists' violence against Palestinians and their property is routine in the West Bank and is rarely prosecuted by Israeli authorities. Such violence includes property and mosque arsons, stone-throwing, uprooting of crops and olive trees, and attacks on vulnerable homes, among others.
Approximately 1 million Israeli colonists are living in colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law. Israel uses the Jewish nationalist name 'Judea and Samaria' to refer to the occupied West Bank to reinforce its claims to the territory, giving them a veneer of historical and religious legitimacy.