Extremist Jews damage Palestinian olive trees

IRAQ BURIN, West Bank – Palestinians say extremist Jews have damaged their olive trees close to a West Bank village as the yearly harvest of the important crop begins.

Resident Bilal Eid said Saturday that two dozen men from a nearby Jewish settlement tore at about a dozen trees after trying to attack Palestinians bulldozing an access road to their fields.

The attack came at the beginning of the 40-day Palestinian olive harvest. It's traditionally a time of heightened violence, as a minority of extremist Jews try to provoke Palestinians.

Eid said the damage could kill the trees, which were meant to be harvested this week, near the village of Burin.

A military spokeswoman said Israeli forces ordered the Jewish intruders to leave.