Israeli settlement threatens Palestinian UNESCO village

Olayan and neighbours fight illegal Israeli settlements in Battir, a UNESCO site in the West Bank.

On a hillside near Palestinian landowner Olayan Olayan's olive groves, young Israeli settlers are hammering out a new, illegal outpost in a UNESCO-protected zone.

Olayan and his neighbours have long battled attempts to settle the land in Battir, a heritage site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank famed for its ancient stone terraces.

Israeli construction in the West Bank has boomed since the war began in the Gaza Strip, even though all settlements in the territory are considered illegal under international law.

The new outpost on a Battir hilltop, also not approved by Israel, was served an eviction notice that Olayan's cousin Ghassan Olayan said has not been enforced because of the Gaza war.

The outpost already has a flagpole, living quarters and a barn for sheep that roam a rocky hill covered by olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers.

"I ploughed the land and planted it until it bore fruit trees," said Olayan, who at 83 is older than the state of Israel itself.

"Some trees were 50 years old, or even more, and suddenly the settlers came and wanted to devour the land and take it from us," he added, his voice shaky.