Nearly 20 settler attacks hit Palestinians across West Bank during olive harvest
Field reports recorded at least 19 Israeli settler assaults on Palestinians by midday Friday, targeting farmers, trees and livestock during the olive harvest.
By Friday midday, field monitors counted at least 19 separate attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians throughout the occupied West Bank. Incidents ranged from burning a farmer's vehicle in Tell and destroying more than 50 olive trees in Qusra to shootings in Deir Ballut and injuries in Kafr ad-Dik and Birin. Settlers also stole livestock in Ein Qiniya, seized a car after beating a man and his son in Yabrud, and targeted vehicles in Sarada and Al-Rayhan.
The Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission said the surge coincides with the annual olive harvest, a vital income source, and warned that settler violence, often under military protection, aims to force Palestinians off their land. UN agencies have recorded a sharp rise in such attacks since October 2023, noting thousands of incidents this year alone.
Why it matters
The attacks jeopardize Palestinian livelihoods and intensify tensions during a critical agricultural period.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 EU debates ban on settlement products as Israeli forces raze West Bank homes
- Sep 9 Eight Arab and Muslim states publicly praised the United Kingdom’s ban on settlement products.
- Sep 10 Israeli opposition parties offered no substantive response to the UK sanctions.
- Sep 13 US activists created a whistle‑blower hotline and warned firms could be targeted under anti‑BDS laws.
- Sep 14 British foreign secretary expected to announce a trade ban on settlement‑linked goods.
- Sep 18 The UN rights office issued a warning that the displacement of over 33,000 refugees from West Bank camps may amount to crimes against humanity.
- Sep 23 A man in his forties was seriously wounded when a vehicle rammed a police car at a checkpoint near Modi'in on the road to the West Bank.
- Sep 23 The checkpoint’s security personnel have been reinforced and an investigation launched.
- Sep 28 Ed Miliband told the Labour conference that the UK will act on Palestine, backing sanctions on Israeli settlements and supporting a two-state solution.
- Sep 29 Three teenagers were arrested in connection with the raid.
- Oct 3 Miliband pledged comprehensive sanctions and a ban on imports and services that support Israeli settlements.
- Oct 5 Labour MP Emily Thornberry called on Britain to defy Israel’s directive to close its consulate in East Jerusalem, calling the move illegal retaliation.
- Oct 6 Powell’s talks concluded without an agreement before the 30‑day deadline.
- Oct 8 Consular staff removed the plaque and signage after the closure deadline passed.
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