“Israeli” Settlers Attack Palestinian Olive Pickers as “Israeli” Forces Arrest Farmer in West Bank

By Staff, Agencies

Palestinian olive farmers came under attack by “Israeli” settlers in several areas of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, while “Israeli” military forces arrested a Palestinian farmer as he worked on his land south of Hebron.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing local sources, settlers assaulted Palestinian olive pickers in the Khallat Abu Huwan area of Beit Dajan, east of Nablus.

The attackers forced the farmers to abandon their land after stealing equipment and harvesting mats they had been using to collect olives.

In a separate incident in the nearby village of Salem, also east of Nablus, several olive trees caught fire after “Israeli” forces fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian farmers in an apparent attempt to prevent them from continuing their harvest.

Municipal firefighting teams from Nablus intervened and managed to extinguish the flames, although several olive trees were damaged.

Meanwhile, two Palestinian men sustained injuries after being beaten by “Israeli” settlers while harvesting olives in the Wadi Al-Zaytoun area, north of Ramallah, near the Ein Siniya military checkpoint.

Local sources said the attackers also confiscated the keys to a vehicle belonging to the Palestinians.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its medical teams treated the two injured men before transferring them to a hospital for further care.

In another incident in the southern occupied West Bank, “Israeli” forces arrested Palestinian farmer Bader Mohammed al-Adra while he was plowing his agricultural land in the Deirat area, east of Yatta, south of Al-Khalil [“Hebron”].

The Al-Baidar Human Rights Organization confirmed the arrest, explaining that Al-Adra had been detained while carrying out routine agricultural work on his property.

The organization said Palestinian farmers in areas east of Yatta regularly face harassment and restrictions imposed by “Israeli” forces, making it increasingly difficult for them to access and cultivate their land.

It warned that targeting farmers during agricultural activities threatens their livelihoods and undermines their ability to maintain ownership and control of their properties.

The organization further described the arrest of farmers while working their fields as a violation of their rights to work and use their land.

It called for Al-Adra’s immediate release and demanded an end to measures targeting Palestinian agricultural workers. It also urged local and international human rights organizations to monitor developments in the Deirat area and document violations against residents.

The latest incidents come amid a continuing escalation of attacks by the “Israeli” military and settlers against Palestinians and their property throughout the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the war on Gaza in October 2023.

These attacks have included killings, arrests, home demolitions, arson, destruction of agricultural land and forced displacement, alongside the expansion of settlements across the occupied territory.

Palestinians have warned that these practices are contributing to efforts to consolidate “Israeli” control over the West Bank and advance its possible formal annexation, further threatening prospects for an independent Palestinian state in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.