- JERUSALEM (AFP) - Extremist
Israeli settlers have chopped down hundreds of olive trees grown on Palestinian
farmland in the West Bank, sources on both sides said Wednesday.
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- Residents of the northern West Bank village of Sawiya
(eds: correct) said they discovered that hundreds of their trees had been
sawn down just as they were about to begin harvesting.
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- The villagers had not been able to access their land
near the settlement of Eli earlier as they needed authorisation from the
Israeli army.
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- Villagers in Hawara, close to the town of Nablus, also
said hundreds of their olive trees had been destroyed by Israelis in nearby
settlements.
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- Uri Ariel, an MP for the right-wing National Union bloc
who is close to settlers' organisations, said it was not known who was
behind the destruction, adding that: "We are completely opposed to
this type of action."
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- During a meeting with US ambassador to Israel Daniel
Kurtzer, President Moshe Katsav "sharply condemned the uprooting of
olive trees belonging to Palestinians", an official government statement
said.
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- "While the struggle with the Palestinians is harsh,
it must be conducted with good sense and integrity. We have a major interest
in easing restrictions on the civilian population, who must be distinguished
from the terrorists," Katsav was quoted as saying.
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- Almost simultaneously, the army announced that it was
relaxing its blockade on several West Bank towns after it tighetened its
grip on the occupied territories following a suicide attack in Haifa a
month ago.
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