WEST BANK, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Palestinian Wall Resistance Commission documented 17 attacks carried out by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and settlers against Palestinian farmers and their land during the olive harvest season on Thursday.
The attacks took place between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. across six West Bank governorates: al-Khalil, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah and al-Bireh, Jenin, and Salfit.
In a press statement, the commission said the documented attacks reflected a dangerous escalation in attacks targeting the olive harvest season. These included direct assaults on farmers, preventing them from accessing their land, stealing crops and agricultural equipment, damaging and burning trees, making arrests, threatening farmers with weapons, and opening fire.
The commission warned that these practices were part of a broader effort to undermine Palestinians’ ability to cultivate their land and preserve their livelihoods.
In the al-Khalil governorate, the IOF arrested Khader Musa’af and his son Suleiman as they attempted to reach their land in the Wadi Ma’in area. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers entered the family’s property, harvested their olives, and stole the crop.
The IOF also arrested 11 solidarity activists from the Faz’a campaign and three Palestinian farmers in Khirbet Jawaya, transferring them to an Israeli police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba.
In the Qalqilya governorate, Jewish settlers, under the protection of occupation forces, set olive trees on fire in the al-Shaba’at area of the village of Immatin. They also forced farmers to leave their fields and prevented them from completing the harvest.
In Jenin, settlers seized 17 sacks of harvested olives and stole harvesting equipment in Khirbet al-Makhal. They also assaulted Palestinian resident Fadi Abu Bakr, who was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Olive harvest under attack as farmers face growing threats
The commission warned that the olive harvest season was becoming a battleground in the struggle over Palestinian land, amid repeated attacks targeting farmers and their crops and restricting their ability to access their fields and harvest their olives.
It stressed that these violations threaten a vital source of income for thousands of Palestinian families.
The attacks take various forms, including physical assaults, preventing farmers from entering their fields, uprooting and burning olive trees, and stealing crops and agricultural equipment.
According to the commission, the IOF troops provide security protection to settlers carrying out these attacks.
Figures released by the Wall Resistance Commission show that the IOF and settlers carried out approximately 11,074 attacks against Palestinians and their property during the first half of 2026, with settlers directly involved in 3,488 of those incidents.
The commission also documented 2,051 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers against Palestinians, their land, and their property across the West Bank and Jerusalem during September alone.
The commission called on the international community and human rights organizations to move beyond statements of condemnation and take concrete measures to protect Palestinian farmers.
It urged international actors to ensure that farmers can safely access their land and harvest their crops, while holding those responsible for the continuing attacks against Palestinians and their property accountable.
