Israeli settler attacks target Palestinian olive harvest in West Bank | Occupied West Bank News
Israeli settlers conducted multiple attacks during the ongoing Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank, leading to significant disruptions, while Israeli forces detained several Palestinians across the region.
On Friday, the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, a government body under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), reported at least 19 separate incidents involving settler violence. The documented attacks targeted Palestinian olive harvesters, resulted in the burning and uprooting of olive trees, and involved the theft of crops and livestock.
Among the reported incidents, settlers uprooted over 50 olive trees in the village of Qusra. In the nearby area of Tal, settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers and set fire to a vehicle belonging to a Palestinian. Harvesters also faced aggression in Jorish, Beita, Naqoura, Birzeit, Deir Bzeih, and Farata.
A Palestinian farmer sustained injuries from gunfire during a separate incident in Kafr ad-Dik. Additionally, reports indicated the use of live ammunition during a settler attack backed by Israeli forces in Deir Ballut. In the village of Berin, east of Hebron, an elderly woman was injured when settlers released dogs on farmers, while livestock was reported stolen in Ein Qinya. In Yabrud, a Palestinian man and his child were attacked, and their vehicle was stolen by settlers.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah, emphasized the growing boldness of settlers in their attacks against Palestinians, particularly during the olive harvest. She noted that Palestinians now often harvest in large groups, accompanied by international activists, to deter settler intimidation. However, incidents of violence tend to escalate after these groups depart.
“Palestinians have to navigate the harvest with the constant threat of intimidation, supported by the Israeli army,” Ibrahim stated. She also reported ongoing assaults linked to a newly established illegal settlement outpost near Ramallah.
As the violence persisted, Israeli forces conducted multiple raids across the West Bank on Friday, resulting in the arrest of 16 Palestinians. The Palestinian Wafa news agency and local sources indicated that nine of those arrested in Hebron included notable figures such as Moataz Abu Sneineh, the director of Ibrahimi Mosque, and Hammam Abu Markhiya, an official responsible for the mosque’s custodians. Additional arrests were made in Qalqilya, where five Palestinians were detained, as well as two others in Beita, south of Nablus.
For Palestinians, the olive harvest, a traditionally joyous season, has been overshadowed by fears of settler violence and intimidation.
