‘Ominous start’ to West Bank olive harvest amid settler attacks

At least 160 Israeli settler attacks related to the olive harvest were recorded in the first two weeks of October, according to the UN aid coordination office (Ocha) – often under the protection of, or with the participation of, Israeli forces.

The settlers also damaged Palestinian property and stole olives and agricultural equipment. Last Friday, they attacked a Washington Post photojournalist who was covering the harvest and the next day attacked a European diplomat visiting a Palestinian community.

On Thursday, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories urge states and donors to goes beyond condemnation and takes immediate action to protect Palestinian communities as the season gets off to an “ominous start”.

Cut off from their land

Thousands of Palestinian farmers unable to reach their olive trees due to strict movement restrictions by Israelwhich has worsened dramatically over the past three years. Meanwhile, according to OHCHR, settlers are allowed to enter Palestinian lands to harvest their crops.

“Palestinians often say that the olive tree is a symbol of their existence as a group and their connection to their homeland,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN human rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

“This is a tool of eviction and dispossession, which adds to the suffering of people whose rights are attacked every day..”

The impact on the olive sector is enormous. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture estimated losses at $157 million since October 2023 and said 90 percent of Gaza’s two million olive trees had been destroyed by then.

In the West Bank, 286,000 olive trees damaged between 2023 and the end of September 2026including 100,000 this year, before the harvest season even begins.

Call to action

Mr Sunghay reiterated the call from the Protection Cluster – a network of more than 100 international and national organizations led by his office – for Member States to increase their diplomatic field presence in high-risk communities, particularly during the harvest season.

The cluster urges national governments to pressure Israel to guarantee Palestinians safe access to their agricultural land, protect farmers from violence and eviction, strengthen accountability and end settler expansion.

They also ask donors to provide:

• timely and flexible funding for patron attendance
• legal aid
• food security
• livelihood interventions

Amid years of Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank, UN agencies have a long history of taking action to protect Palestinian farmers.

Staff at the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has helped farmers harvest olives, including in Beit Surik, biddu And Wadi Fukin.

UN officials have also met with communities to mitigate attacks, including allocated $750,000 from the Humanitarian Fund in 2024 to support olive farmers, saying they should have unimpeded and safe access to their groves.