ABNA24 - The Palestinian Wall Resistance Commission documented 16 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against farmers and agricultural land across six governorates in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., amid escalating attacks affecting the olive harvest season and the livelihoods of Palestinian families.
According to the commission, the reported assaults included the detention and physical assault of farmers, theft of crops and agricultural equipment, land bulldozing, and military restrictions preventing access to olive groves.
The commission warned that these practices are increasing pressure on Palestinian farmers and threatening their ability to cultivate and benefit from their land.
Ramallah: Land bulldozing and crop theft
In the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate, Jewish settlers entered the Sahl al-Rafid area northeast of al-Mughayyir village as Israeli occupation forces (IOF) resumed bulldozing Palestinian-owned land nearby.
In Wadi A’mar, south of the village, farmers were forced to leave their fields while harvesting olives, and IOF confiscated their crops.
Additional attacks were reported along the al-Khalayel road, where settlers stole an agricultural structure.
Other settlers stormed farmland west of Kafr Malik, while farmers in al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya faced intimidation intended to prevent them from accessing their agricultural land.
Qalqilya: Tractors seized and olive harvesters attacked
In the Qalqilya Governorate, Jewish settlers attacked farmers in the al-Bawatin area south of Immatin village.
The settlers seized a tractor and overturned three other tractors, damaging them.
Dozens of olive harvesters were also attacked in the Wadi Asira area near Immatin, where settlers assaulted farmers in an attempt to force them to leave their fields.
Meanwhile, groups of settlers remained in agricultural fields and mountainous areas around Far’ata and between Immatin and Deir Istiya for more than four hours.
According to the commission, their presence was intended to intimidate farmers and obstruct access to agricultural land.
Jenin and Nablus: Farmers detained and property confiscated
In the Jenin Governorate, the IOF imposed closures and tightened military restrictions at entrances and checkpoints around Ya’bad, Arraba, Kufeirit, and Marka.
The restrictions prevented some farmers from reaching their land and disrupted olive harvesting activities.
In the Nablus Governorate, the IOF and settlers detained 15 farmers, including elderly residents, while they were working on their land in the western valley area of al-Sawiya village.
The farmers were taken to the Rehelim settlement after their harvested olives, a tractor, and mobile phones were confiscated.
In al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, settlers attacked olive harvesters in the al-Khirba, Sha’b al-Tini, and Sha’b al-Midi areas, forcing them to leave their fields.
Settlers also detained a Palestinian man and his children from Osarin village in the al-Harayiq area of Beita after physically assaulting them.
The attacks coincided with continued Israeli military bulldozing of agricultural land north of Qusra, further threatening farmland and the livelihoods of its owners.
Salfit and al-Khalil: Farmers intimidated and denied access to land
In the Salfit Governorate, settlers entered olive groves in the al-Nasba area of Yasuf village, near the home of Palestinian resident Basel Yassin.
According to the commission, the settlers intimidated farmers working in the area.
In Masafer Yatta, south of al-Khalil, settlers accompanied by Israeli forces prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing their olive groves, particularly those located near settlement outposts.
Commission warns of growing threat to Palestinian agricultural livelihoods
The Palestinian Wall Resistance Commission warned that the continuing attacks during the olive harvest season reflect a broader pattern extending beyond the harassment of farmers during harvesting.
The commission said the attacks increasingly threaten the conditions necessary for agricultural activity to continue, including access to farmland, the availability of equipment, and the ability to retain harvested crops.
It cited the confiscation of produce and agricultural machinery, bulldozing of farmland, closure of access roads, and continued threats against landowners as measures undermining agricultural livelihoods.
The commission also expressed concern over incidents in which farmers were detained on their own land and transferred to Israeli settlements, alongside reports of Israeli military protection to settlers during attacks.
According to the commission, these incidents demonstrate the connection between settler violence and military restrictions in limiting Palestinian access to and use of agricultural land.
It warned that continued restrictions and attacks could transform temporary disruptions to the olive harvest into long-term exclusion of farmers from their land, with serious economic and social consequences for Palestinian families.
The commission called on the international community to intervene to halt the attacks, ensure the protection of Palestinian farmers, and hold those responsible for violations against farmers and their property accountable.
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