US calls for Israel to probe killing of Palestinian woman during West Bank olive harvest

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Mourners lower the flag-draped body of Hanan Abdel Rahman Abu Salama, 59, into a grave, after she reportedly killed by Israeli fire as she was picking olives in the West Bank village of Faqoua near Jenin, on October 17, 2024. (Zain Jaafar/AFP)
Mourners lower the flag-draped body of Hanan Abdel Rahman Abu Salama, 59, into a grave, after she reportedly killed by Israeli fire as she was picking olives in the West Bank village of Faqoua near Jenin, on October 17, 2024. (Zain Jaafar/AFP)

The US calls for a swift Israeli investigation into the alleged IDF killing of a Palestinian woman harvesting olives in the West Bank last week and for Israel to allow Palestinians to access their lands during the harvest season.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel calls reports of the IDF killing “incredibly concerning,” noting that the Israeli army has launched an initial probe into the matter and has suspended a commander in the unit involved. “Pur expectation is that Israel investigate this thoroughly, swiftly, transparently and that it seek accountability in this instance as well.”

“It is not lost on us that the annual olive hardest harvest [provides] major economic activity to Palestinian people… and we believe that Palestinians need to have access to their land to conduct these kinds of harvests when appropriate,” Patel says.

“It continues to be that we want to see some changes when it comes to military rules of engagement, particularly as it relates to the West Bank,” he adds.

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