Palestinian body documents 12 Israeli occupier, army attacks on olive farmers in West Bank

The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission documented 12 attacks by Israeli occupiers and the army against olive farmers and their property across five governorates in the occupied West Bank within a 12-hour period, it said Thursday.

The incidents included the detention of 14 foreign solidarity activists, injuries to farmers from beatings and pepper spray, as well as the theft of olive harvests, damage to trees, and the bulldozing of agricultural land, according to the commission.

“The incidents were recorded between 6 am and 6 pm local time Wednesday during the olive harvest season,” the commission said.

“They occurred in the governorates of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Hebron, Nablus, Salfit and Jenin,” it added.

FOREIGN ACTIVISTS DETAINED

“In the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate, Israeli occupiers attacked olive pickers in the town of Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah,” the commission said.

“The occupiers entered Palestinian-owned land, chased farmers, and released livestock to graze on agricultural fields,” it added.

In the village of Al-Lubban Al-Gharbi, northwest of Ramallah, occupiers expelled Palestinian olive pickers and foreign solidarity activists from the land.

The occupiers detained 14 foreign activists and confiscated their phones before calling Israeli police, who arrested all 14, according to the commission’s field report.

FARMERS INJURED, CROPS STOLEN

In Nablus, occupiers entered agricultural land in the Jabal Al-Arma area of Beita and prevented residents from accessing it.

In the nearby town of Jamma’in, occupiers attacked farmers while they were working on their land.

“One farmer was beaten along with members of his family and suffered a direct blow to the head,” the commission said.

“Several other farmers were injured after being beaten or exposed to pepper spray and tear gas,” it added.

“In the Hebron governorate, occupiers stole olives from trees belonging to Palestinian farmer Ahmad Akash al-Hreini in the Al-Rahniya area south of Yatta and broke and damaged trees,” according to the commission.

In Salfit, occupiers stole olives from Palestinian-owned land in the Wadi Al-Ahmar area between the towns of Marda and Yasuf.

The commission said occupiers fired live ammunition toward a farmer who encountered them while they were stealing the harvest.

AGRICULTURAL LAND BULLDOZED

“In Jenin, Israeli forces continued bulldozing agricultural land between the villages of Tura and Umm Dar northwest of the governorate,” the commission said.

“The activity is part of measures affecting Palestinian agricultural land and farmers’ ability to cultivate it,” it said.

The commission said the attacks during the olive harvest season were preventing Palestinian farmers from reaching their land and benefiting from its produce.

It warned that live gunfire, land bulldozing, and damage to olive trees poses a direct threat to farmers and foreign solidarity activists and could cause long-term economic and environmental damage.

Israeli army raids and occupier attacks have intensified across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023.

According to Palestinian figures, more than 1,220 Palestinians have been killed, around 13,350 injured and more than 26,000 arrested during that period.