Israeli forces detain 17 Palestinians, level olive groves in Deir al-Balah
Palestine-Israel, Military, 9/9/2002

Palestinian and Israeli sources on Sunday said that the Israeli forces arrested some 20 Palestinians on Saturday evening in the West Bank.

Witnesses said that the Israeli soldiers arrested 17 Palestinians in Yata to the south of Hebron, noting that the aim behind storming this town was to search for a Palestinian policeman and as he was not found, where the Israeli forces arrested several members of his family.

On the other hand, the Israeli border guards arrested one Palestinian accused of taking part in anti- Israeli operations in Alara to the northern East of Toulkarem, according to a spokesman for the Israeli army.

The same source said that another Palestinian, among those who are being chased by the Israeli forces, was also arrested in al-Aysaweyah to the north of Ramullah.

On the other hand, witnesses said that damages were inflicted in almost 50 Palestinian cars parked near an Israeli check point at the entrance of Hebron. The owners of the cars accused the 600 Israeli settlers who live among 120,000 Palestinians in the city of being responsible for the acts of damage. No Israeli soldier is stationed near the cement barrier which is installed to the east of the city which forces the Palestinians to leave their cars near the place and to continue their trip home walking.

Meantime, a Palestinian security source said that the Israeli bulldozers backed by tanks incurred in the city of Deir al-Balah in the downtown of Gaza where tens of agricultural dunnums were leveled and the Israeli bulldozers leveled more than 50 dunnums of the agricultural lands before their pullout.

The director general of the Palestinian ministry of agriculture Mahmoud Abu Samra said that these acts fall in the course of the fierce campaign launched by the Israeli forces against the agricultural sector in the Palestinian territories.

He explained that the damages which hit the agricultural sector in the central province -- in the downtown of Gaza alone covered the destruction of 4334 dunnums, 68878 trees during the period from August 28, 2000 until the end of June this year.

Eye witnesses said that two bulldozers and several tanks incurred for one kilometer in Huker al-Jamee area in Deir al-Balah, and started leveling olive trees which are not cultivated yet and palm trees which are more than 50 years old.

Previous Stories:
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