Patches of land have been flooded with water to keep farmers away from olives, an official said in Bethlehem. Head of the council for beekeepers Osama Chkarna denounced the flooding of vast areas of Ain Fares Nahalin, west of Bethlehem. He said the land is filled with olive trees, almonds, grapes and waste water. Chkarna said: “The drowning of this plantation by residents led to a big loss in agriculture in the area.” This is not the first assault of its kind, but two more have been reported in the past few days. The purpose of the drowning is to impede the passage and access of farmers to harvest the olives.