PARC expresses its strong condemnation and resentment of the attack committed last night on the hands of the Jewish settlers of Elon More against olive groves belonging to Salem village in the north of the West Bank.

In their continued and repeated attacks against the people and property of Salem, a number of Jewish settlers from Elon More settlement near Nablus uprooted at least 300 olive trees owned by the families of Salem from which they make a living. Jewish settlers have been attacking the people and property of Salem for the past weeks under the eyes and with the full protection of the Israeli police. A village source said that this series of attacks started when the settlers established an outpost on the lands of Salem for the purpose of expanding the Elon More settlement.

In reaction to this incident, PARC appealed to the Palestinian institutions, diplomatic missions, friends of the Palestinian people to support by all possible means the steadfastness and just struggle of the people of this village against settlers’ attempts to evacuate them from their ancestors’ lands. Furthermore, PARC warns of the escalation and further attacks by the Jewish settlers against the Palestinian people in the course of the transitional period that Israel undergoes before the parliamentarian elections are held.

PARC calls on you all to join the peaceful vigil that will be organized at the site of the destroyed olive groves on Friday, December 2.

Salem is located 6 km to the east of Nablus City with a population of 5000. One fourth of its lands were confiscated for the extension purposes of Elon More settlement. Recently, settlers from this settlement started an outpost in Al-Luhhaf area that belongs to Salem. Since then, the village was targeted by settlers’ attacks and sabotage acts such as burning down more than 350 olive trees a few weeks ago.