Israeli forces have uprooted tens of thousands of grapevines and bulldozed large areas of Palestinian farmland east of Hebron in the occupied West Bank as part of an expansion project linked to Route 60, a major road used by Israeli settlers, according to Palestinian officials and local residents.
The destruction took place over several days in the Al-Baqa’a area near Hebron, where vineyards form a major part of the local economy. Palestinian farmers told local media that bulldozers cleared more than 200 dunums of agricultural land, damaging grapevines, fruit trees and vegetable crops shortly before the harvest season.
Local residents said they were initially given no warning before the land-clearing operations began. Some farmers later reported receiving military seizure notices tied to the road expansion project.
Hebron is one of the West Bank’s most important grape-producing regions, with thousands of families depending on agriculture for income. Palestinian officials and rights groups have long argued that settlement road expansions and land seizures threaten Palestinian communities and farming livelihoods in the occupied territory.
