Massive bulldozer raids wipe out olive groves in Arraba as new settlement expands

On the Arraba-Ya’bad road, bulldozers accompanied by Israeli soldiers have shredded olive groves and homes across several kilometres, targeting lands that include the al-Fari family’s property in Area A. The operation coincides with the formal opening of the Emek Dotan settlement, a new religious outpost built on 220 dunams seized from Arraba’s farmland. Mayor Ahmed Arda reports that since March the town has been hemmed in by settlements and outposts, with 1,500 dunums already blocked and another 2,800 dunums rendered off-limits by military orders.

Settlers have also been seen destroying trees at night, and one villager was treated for gunshot wounds after a shooting. Experts label the pattern a pogrom and argue it breaches the Oslo Accords, while locals say the olive trees are their cultural and economic lifeline. The campaign threatens the livelihoods of roughly 70 % of Arraba’s 13,000 residents who depend on agriculture.