(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The US on Tuesday expressed concern about reports of at least three Israeli attacks on Palestinian olive groves in the West Bank in recent days.
This time of year usually marks the beginning of the olive harvest, and Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din has cited two attacks by the Israeli army and one by Israeli settlers so far.
"If true, these actions are very concerning, and we condemn acts of vandalism," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters. "The olive harvest is important to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian economy, and we urge all parties to make sure it is a successful harvest." Yesh Din asserted in its latest report, released Monday, that no suspects are arrested in 96 percent of vandalism cases, many of which include the uprooting or burning of trees.
Psaki said the US "look(s) to local authorities to make sure that the perpetrators of attacks and vandalism are held to account and that they take steps to prevent future attacks from occurring." The organization said the annual olive harvest is a source of income for 10,000 Palestinian households in the West Bank.
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