Ramallah: Seven Palestinians were killed by the Israeli colonists in October, according to a monthly report by the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).

The colonists also destroyed 3,500 olive trees and constructed 4,900 new housing units in the Palestinian territories during this time.

Rabbis are said to have urged the colonists to wage a war against the Palestinian olive farmers during the olive harvest in order, not only destroy their crops, but to stop any future harvests.

They also began to build 4,900 new housing units in a number of different areas of the West Bank and occupied east Jerusalem after they were given the go-ahead by the Israeli authorities.

Over 400 new housing units are being made in the colony of Ariel on land which was originally owned by Salfit city in the West Bank; while 1,300 new houses are being built in occupied east Jerusalem; and a further 3,200 housing units are under construction in other colonies of the West Bank.

Expansion

Meanwhile, the Israeli colonists have seized a total of 415 acres in the West Bank, to expand their colonies.

They have also seized approximately 333 acres of land from the village of Jaloud, south east Nablus, along with 39 acres of land from the Palestinian residents of Al Baqa'a, Hebron, 33 acres from Mashah in Salfit, four acres from Kofr Qadum near Qalqilia, four acres from Beit Ommar and approximately three acres from those living in Tafouh in Hebron.

The PLO report also drew attention to the arrest of 240 Palestinians since last October. Over 100 of these were children from the Silwan Arab neighbourhood in occupied east Jerusalem.

Many were minors (children under the age of 13) who were detained and later fined for throwing stones.

PM denied entry

The Palestinian prime minister cancelled an official visit yesterday to an area Israel regards as part of occupied Jerusalem after Israeli security forces were ordered to prevent such a trip.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad had been scheduled to open a road in Dahiyat Al Salam, which falls within the municipal boundaries of occupied Jerusalem as defined by Israel following its annexation of the territory after the 1967 Middle East war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his security forces on Monday to stop the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) from holding any events in the occupied Jerusalem municipality, apparently in response to Fayyad's plans.

Fayyad, head of the Ramallah-based PNA government, visited another area outside the city limits yesterday, touring a school where the PNA had financed renovation work.

— With inputs from Reuters