‘Like monsters’ – Palestinian olive farmers face rising settler violence
Israeli settlers assaulting Palestinian residents and solidarity activists during an attack on an olive harvest in the town of Surif, South Hebron Hills, 12 November 2021
Fayha Shalash reports in The Palestine Chronicle on 3 November 2024:
Every October during the olive season, Abdullah Samhan heads with his family to their land in the village of Al-Lubban Al-Gharbi, west of Ramallah, to pick olives.
At the beginning of last month, he and his family were filled with joy as they headed to their land to kick-start the olive harvest season. However, this joyful experience quickly turned distressing, as the illegal settlers had other plans for this Palestinian family.
Over 50 armed Israeli illegal settlers attacked Palestinian families on the western side of the village, in an attempt to force them to leave at gunpoint.
‘Like Monsters’
When the Palestinian villagers refused to leave, the illegal settlers began beating them, disregarding the presence of children and women. “They attacked us and beat us with thick iron sticks. They didn’t care about the screams of children and women. They were like monsters!” Abdullah Samhan told the Palestine Chronicle.
As a result, 13 Palestinian villagers sustained injuries, fractures, and bruises that day, including a child under seven and three women. The illegal settlers did not stop there, they also stole olives that the villagers had harvested and threatened them.
According to Samhan, the Israeli occupation army helped the illegal settlers to expel the villagers from their lands. “Every year we suffer during the olive harvest season and we are always threatened by settlers, but this year they were armed and more violent and attacked us immediately,” he added.
The Israeli occupation authorities have already controlled large areas of the village’s lands in service of illegal settlements.
Today, illegal Jewish settlers, with the protection of the occupation army, are trying to seize additional olive-planted lands, preventing Palestinians from accessing their fields to claim instead.
Non-Stop Harassment
Despite years of harassment during the olive-picking season, Palestinians have faced an alarming increase in settler attacks this year. Dozens of incidents were reported throughout October, including beatings, verbal assaults, aggressions, and crop theft at gunpoint.
The illegal Jewish settlers know very well how crucial the olive harvest season is to the Palestinian people, especially since olive oil is a staple in Palestinian cuisine, so this year they have intensified their attacks to discourage Palestinians from accessing their fields.