Ramallah: The head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), Muayyad Shaaban, reported that Israeli occupation forces and settlers have executed 158 attacks against olive pickers since the onset of the current harvest season.
According to Jordan News Agency, Shaaban stated in a press release on Tuesday that the commission's teams documented 17 attacks by the Israeli army and 141 by settlers. These incidents included physical assaults, arrests, movement restrictions, denial of land access to farmers, acts of intimidation, and direct gunfire, notably in the Tubas Governorate.
Shaaban highlighted that the Nablus Governorate experienced the highest number of assaults with 56 cases, followed by Ramallah with 51, and Hebron with 15. The commission recorded 57 cases of movement restrictions and intimidation, along with 22 incidents of beatings and physical assaults against farmers.
He further elaborated that this season has been particularly challenging and hazardous, with Israeli forces and settlers exploiting wartime conditions to perpetrate violations, supported by policies encouraging attacks, terrorism, and restrictions. These include the closure of governorates, arming settler militias, and exempting them from accountability and prosecution.
Shaaban also pointed out an unprecedented rise in declaring agricultural lands as "closed military zones," thus preventing farmers from accessing their fields and harvesting crops.
According to Shaaban, 74 attacks specifically targeted olive groves, including 29 incidents of tree cutting, breaking, and bulldozing, resulting in the destruction of 795 olive trees.
He emphasized that the targeting of the olive harvest is systematic, intended to "undermine the historical and emotional bond between Palestinians and their land," as part of a broader strategy to seize Palestinian geography and hinder citizens from reaching their properties.
Shaaban reaffirmed that the determination of Palestinian farmers to access their lands and continue the olive harvest has thwarted settlers' plans and demonstrated Palestinians' resilience and capacity to resist occupation measures.