Israel to 'relocate' village olive trees

Ma'an
An Israeli company operating on behalf of the country's Ministry of Defense began the relocation of olive trees on Tuesday, on lands belonging to the village of Bil'in slated for the construction of the separation wall.

The trees, which would otherwise be destroyed in the construction process that cuts off villagers from dozens of other trees that will not be moved, will be re-planted on lands that will remain on the east side of the wall, a statement from the Israeli military said. [In the past, many ancient olive trees taken from Palestinian farmers have been transplanted in Israel.]

According to the military, the relocation is being conducted in coordination with the land owners in Bil'in and the Civil Administration, a branch of the Israeli Defense Ministry which oversees non-military matters in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The move comes after Israel's High Court of Justice ruled that the separaion barrier should be rerouted so that it annexes less land from the village, which was cut in half by a system of fences, trenches and combed sand outlining the wall's eventual route.

....Meanwhile, the army said Israeli authorities were investigating claims that settlers cut down dozens of olive trees on the same day in an area of the West Bank thirty kilometers north of Bil'in.

Ghassan Daghlas, who holds the PA's northern settlements portfolio, said residents of the illegal Yitzhar settlement chopped down 45 trees on land belonging to Burin, a Palestinian village near Nablus....   Full story