Nablus/PNN/

Israeli extremists settlers waged chemical warfare against Palestinian-owned land spraying about 60 olive trees belonging to a Palestinian resident of the town of Jaloud, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, with lethal chemicals totally damaging the trees, Ghassan Daghlas, a local official, said today.

He said the settlers, who have been escalating their attacks against olive trees and Palestinian farmers during this olive harvest season, sneaked into the outskirts of the village and sprayed the trees with the toxic chemical ruining all of them.

The olive harvest season is an important time for thousands of Palestinian households across the occupied territories and every year, settlers, protected by soldiers, obstruct, violently attack farmers, and often steal the crops. They also vandalize the trees setting them on fire or cutting them down to prevent their Palestinian owners from benefitting from them.