Settler Attacks Surge in West Bank, Targeting Olive Harvest

Settler violence against Palestinians, their property, and agricultural lands in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has escalated, particularly during the olive harvest season, with Israeli forces providing protection. On Monday, at least three Palestinians were injured in an attack by settlers on the town of Mariha, near Ya'bad in the Jenin governorate. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported treating the injured. Settlers also hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles on the road between Jaba' and 'Ajja, causing property damage. In Ramallah, settlers targeted agricultural lands in Umm Safa, stealing olives and damaging trees. In Nablus, settlers raided the "Al-Harayeq" area of Beita, stealing olives from citizens' lands. The Beita area has seen a rise in settler attacks on agricultural lands, especially near settlements and outposts. In the southern West Bank, settlers entered the "Khallat al-Himz" area of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, attempting to intimidate families and shepherds and pressure them to leave their land. These attacks are part of a broader increase in violence against Palestinians, including the theft and destruction of olive crops, preventing farmers from accessing their land, and assaults on Bedouin communities. According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Israeli forces and settlers carried out 2,051 attacks in September alone, including 647 by settlers, resulting in three Palestinian deaths and 88 injuries, along with the destruction of 14,600 trees, including 9,334 olive trees. The commission reported a total of 5,561 settler attacks from the beginning of 2026 through the end of September. The violence also includes raids on remote areas, Bedouin communities, Masafer Yatta, and incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque with Talmudic rituals in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture reported that by the end of September, 98,293 olive trees in the West Bank had been damaged, with direct losses to the olive crop exceeding $66.5 million and cumulative losses since 2023 reaching approximately $316.9 million.