ABNA24 - The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers carried out at least 20 attacks and violations against Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest across the West Bank on Monday, injuring five Palestinians and detaining at least ten others, including two children.
The attacks, documented by the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, also involved the burning of vehicles, attempts to set homes on fire, theft of olive crops and agricultural equipment, and the forced removal of farmers from their land.
According to the commission, the attacks occurred between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. across six West Bank governorates: Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Nablus, Salfit, al-Khalil, Jenin, and Qalqilya.
The commission warned that the repeated attacks threaten Palestinian farmers’ livelihoods and their ability to access and cultivate their land during the annual olive harvest.
Five Palestinians injured, vehicles burnt
Three Palestinians were injured in the Al-Manqa area of Farkha village after Jewish settlers chased their vehicle and threw stones at it, causing it to overturn.
Two other Palestinians were beaten by settlers in separate attacks in Turmus Ayya and Deir Abu Mash’al, in the Ramallah area.
The commission also documented the burning of at least three vehicles: one in Turmus Ayya and two in Wadi Al-Sha’er, east of Salfit.
Settlers additionally attempted to set fire to two homes in Turmus Ayya.
The settler assaults were part of a wider series of attacks involving physical assaults, gunfire, property destruction, and intimidation of Palestinian farmers.
Settlers force farmers off their land and steal olive crops
In the Salfit governorate, Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters in Wadi Al-Ain, near Deir Ballut.
An armed settler also chased farmers working in Wadi Yasuf and Wadi Al-Ahmar, east of Marda village, forcing several to abandon their land.
In Ramallah and Al-Bireh, settlers drove farmers from their fields in Turmus Ayya, Deir Abu Mash’al, Burqa, and the Gharaba area of Sinjil.
Settlers also opened fire toward Palestinian farmers in the Al-Joura area of Rammun village.
In Al-Mazra’a Al-Sharqiya, settlers stole harvested olives from farmland in the Al-Batin area.
Similar attacks were reported across the Nablus governorate.
Palestinian olive pickers were targeted near Jalud School, in the Bir Quza area of Beita, in Burin, and in Al-Masoudiya.
Farmers were forced to leave their agricultural land, while settlers stole olive crops in Al-Masoudiya.
The attacks disrupted harvesting activities and deprived Palestinian families of crops that provide an essential source of income.
Settlers attack farmers in al-Khalil under Israeli military protection
In the al-Khalil governorate, Jewish settlers, accompanied by IOF troops, attacked farmers from the Al-Mahaniya and Al-Da’ajneh families in Wadi Abu Khashaba, near Al-Buweib, east of Yatta.
The settlers assaulted the farmers and stole their olive harvest and agricultural equipment.
Three Palestinians were subsequently detained.
In another attack near Al-Karmel, a Palestinian farmer was assaulted and had his olive crop and wallet stolen.
Settlers also released cattle into agricultural fields in Sikka village, damaging farmland.
In Sha’ab Al-Butum, in Masafer Yatta, settlers attacked a Palestinian family, and two Palestinians were detained.
The commission said the incidents reflected a pattern of attacks on farming communities already facing restrictions on land access and threats to their livelihoods.
Ten Palestinians detained, including two children
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission documented the detention of at least 10 Palestinians during Monday’s attacks.
According to its records, the detentions included one young Palestinian man in Deir Abu Mash’al, four Palestinians, including two children, while harvesting olives in Kafr Qaddum, three Palestinians in Wadi Abu Khashaba, east of Yatta, and two Palestinians in Sha’ab Al-Butum, Masafer Yatta.
In Jenin, Palestinian farmers in Al-Arqa village were also forced to leave their agricultural land, preventing them from continuing the olive harvest.
Olive harvest under threat across the West Bank
The Palestinian olive harvest is a vital source of income for thousands of families and an important part of Palestinian cultural heritage and connection to the land.
The commission warned that the repeated attacks are not limited to physical assaults.
By chasing farmers, preventing them from reaching their fields, stealing crops and equipment, and destroying property, settlers undermine Palestinians’ ability to maintain their agricultural livelihoods.
The commission also highlighted incidents in which farmers were pursued even as they attempted to leave their land.
Such attacks threaten both the immediate harvest and the long-term ability of Palestinian families to continue farming their property.
Palestinian commission demands protection and accountability
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission called for an immediate end to Jewish settler attacks and urged measures to protect Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest.
It stressed the need to guarantee Palestinians safe and uninterrupted access to their agricultural land and hold those responsible for attacks and violations accountable.
The commission warned that continued assaults, crop theft, property destruction, and detentions threaten the livelihoods of Palestinian farming communities throughout the occupied West Bank.
For farmers whose families have cultivated olive groves for generations, the attacks threaten more than a single harvest. They undermine their ability to remain on their land, sustain their families, and preserve a central part of Palestinian life.
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