Soldiers, armed settlers targeted Palestinian olive harvesters in West Bank 80 times this month — rights group

Settlers allegedly carrying off stolen olives from Palestinian-owned olive trees from the land of the West Bank village of Bayt Lid close to the Einav settlement, October 2024. (Screenshot, courtesy Yesh Din)
Settlers allegedly carrying off stolen olives from Palestinian-owned olive trees from the land of the West Bank village of Bayt Lid close to the Einav settlement, October 2024. (Screenshot, courtesy Yesh Din)

The Yesh Din rights group says it has documented 80 incidents of violence by soldiers and armed settlers targeting Palestinian olive harvesters in the month of October alone.

The incidents took place across 42 Palestinian villages and included shootings, violent assaults and threats, the expulsion of harvesters and prevention of harvesting, theft of crops and agricultural equipment, and tree uprooting.

In 85 percent of the incidents, Israeli security personnel were present but didn’t prevent the attacks, Yesh Din says.

“The increasing number of incidents and the cooperation between the settlers and security forces personnel raise concerns that the prevention of Palestinian olive harvesting in the West Bank is a deliberate policy of Israel,” the rights group adds.

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