Israeli Forces, Settlers Disrupt Palestinian Olive Harvest

Israeli forces on Saturday morning prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing their land in Kafr Ni'ma, west of Ramallah, to harvest olives, forcing them to leave. In the nearby village of Burqa, settlers attacked farmers during their olive harvest, forcing them to abandon their work. Last Tuesday, settlers also burned a house in Burqa inhabited by a family of five. Burqa has seen repeated attacks targeting homes and agricultural land, along with attempts to raid the village and terrorize residents. The Israeli army and settlers' attacks on farmers and olive pickers have escalated with the start of the olive harvest season in the West Bank. These attacks include physical assault, blocking access to farmland, destroying trees, and stealing crops, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of Palestinian families. The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported 19 settler attacks on olive pickers, farmers, and their property on Friday. These incidents included burning a vehicle, uprooting over 50 olive trees in Qusra, south of Nablus, attacking olive pickers in several West Bank villages, and shooting and injuring a farmer in Salfit Governorate. The commission stated that army and settler attacks on crops in August 2026 affected 21,508 trees, including 19,375 olive trees. In the past month, the commission recorded 647 settler attacks, concentrated in West Bank governorates. Ongoing aggressions against farmers and their property involve restricting their movement, preventing access to their land during harvest season, and destroying crops and trees.