http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=12066
*Israeli Colonizers Set Fire to Olive Trees in WB Village * RAMALLAH, September 14, 2008 (WAFA) - Villagers of the West Bank village of Awarta said on Sunday that Israeli colonizers from nearby Yitzhar set fire to hundreds of their olive trees, causing massive damage to the livelihood of many of them. Head of the Village Council, Hassan Awad, affirmed that Israeli soldiers never hindered the colonizers from setting fire to the villagers' groves, adding that the colonizers started the fire in an area that Palestinians cannot enter due to security restrictions, thus preventing them from putting out the flames. Awad said that a preliminary assessment of the damages had concluded that the fire damaged the livelihood of dozens of families, and that 12-17 acres of trees had been destroyed. 'I believe that Israeli troops are not adequately quelling the threat posed by the colonizers,' said Awad who also affirmed that Israeli troops appeared at times to be taking orders from them, even while they acted violently towards the Palestinian residents. 'We believe the soldiers and officers work for the colonizers and take orders from them, so there is no chance they would try to prevent the fire, even if they knew about it head of time,' he said. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
