Olive harvest 2025 under attack (West Bank)

The olive harvest is culturally, economically, and socially vital for many Palestinian communities. However, the 2025 season is expected to be subject to heightened risks. These stem from a combination of settler violence, restrictions on land access, environmental factors (including pests and climate change), and governance/policy issues.

Palestinian farmers experience frequent attacks during harvest time: vandalism of trees, burning or cutting down of trees, theft of crops, and intimidation. In many incidents, Israeli settlers are accompanied by Israeli occupation forces or benefit from insufficient protection by authorities. Some communities are identified as "hotspots" where violence or harassment recurs annually—especially villages near settlements, bypass roads, or in areas with settlement outposts. Certain governorates are likely to be more affected: Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, Salfit, Qalqilya, and Tulkarem among them, especially for communities close to settlements or outposts.

Restrictions on Land Access: Many farmers are being denied or delayed access to their olive groves, especially where lands are near or behind settlements, barriers, or within Area C. Checkpoints, gates, and the requirement for permits (“prior coordination”) often limit access; in some cases entire orchards are inaccessible during the harvest. These restrictions negatively affect not only harvesting but all preparatory agricultural activities (pruning, fertilizing, pest control). Reduced maintenance further diminishes productivity.

Economic & Livelihood Impacts: Loss of harvest due to the above risks translates directly into financial harm: lost olive oil production, loss of trees (which are long‐term assets), missed market revenues. Many families rely heavily on olives and olive oil as a primary source of income; disruptions in harvest can undermine food security, household income, and cultural practices. The combination of environmental stressors (pests, climate) on top of security and access issues may lead to significantly lower yields in affected areas, potentially large economic losses and deeper food security challenges for vulnerable households.

Policy, Legal, and Institutional Risks: Permitting systems, zoning, rules about coordination for land access are sometimes arbitrary or revoked, making future planning difficult. These attacks or property damage often go without accountability.

Timeline of the main events (Ongoing)

On October 10, a large-scale pogrom was carried out by 70 settlers and backed by Israeli soldiers, firing tear gas, stun grenade, and even live amnunition during the olive harvest in Beita, near Nablus. More than 12 Palestinian farmers and activist were wounded. The set fire at 8 cars including the vehcle of the AFP journalist. Another Palestinian journalist were injured.

On October 16, Settlers, under the protection of the occupation forces, assault citizens, including the head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, Muayyad Shaaban, while they were participating in the Olive Harvest Campaign 2025 in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya.

On October 17, Israeli settlers attacked olive pickers in the towns of Aqraba, south of Nablus, and Farkha, south of Salfit in the occupied West Bank. A farmer had been picking olives with his wife and son when he was attacked and severely beaten by settlers. The farmer was later transferred to Salfit Governmental Hospital for treatment. According to Mustafa Hammad, head of the Farkha village council, the settlers had forced the farmer’s family off their land last week and returned this week.

At the same time, in Aqraba, settlers targeted farmers looking after their olive fields and forced them off their lands, second time since last week; Settlers targeted also farmers looking after their olive fields and forced them off their land.

In Silwad, Qabalan, Qusra, Ramin, Salem and the Beta area, settlers attacked Palestinians who were engaged in the harvest and prevented it. In Qusra, the settlers also opened fire on the harvesters.

At the harvest in Silwad, for example, which was held by Palestinian olive grove owners in cooperation with rabbinical human rights activists, instead of preventing the settlers from attacking, the army issued a closed military zone order, thereby effectively cooperating with the violence. The settlers also prevented rescue forces from entering the area, blocked an ambulance, and prevented the wounded from receiving medical treatment on the spot, while threatening that an "event" would occur if the ambulance reached the wounded.

On October 18, in Kobar, north of Ramallah, Israeli forces opened fire and launched stun and tear gas grenades at Palestinian farmers and journalists as they tried to access their land for the olive harvest. Soldiers fired at them, forcing them to retreat. No injuries were reported. “The (Israeli) occupation army prevented farmers from reaching their lands west of the village, particularly in the Qanater and Daak areas, and opened fire at them without causing injuries,” farmer Fahd Abu al-Hajj told Anadolu.

On October 19, in Turmus Ayya, a violent pogrom was carried out by settlers backed by soldiers, trapping all the farmers and solidarity activists in the plain between two occupied hills. Dozens of violent settlers, armed with batons, rocks, and guns, assaulted several people, including two Palestinian women and foreign activists. A 52-year-old woman was severely injured in the head. Jasper Nathaniel, a U.S. journalist and activist, was chased by dozens of settlers attempting to kill him.

Report of the first week:

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that settlers carried out 35 attacks targeting the olive harvest, affecting 27 villages across various West Bank governorates over the course of a single week. The assaults resulted in 99 injuries among Palestinians, in addition to widespread damage to agricultural lands and harvesting equipment, negatively impacting local olive production. The data warns of a dangerous escalation in settler violence during this year’s olive harvest compared to previous years, increasing the suffering of farmers and threatening local food security.

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, at the date of October 23, there have been 158 attacks on Palestinians as they tried to harvest their trees, Israeli army participated in 17 attacks, while settlers carried out 141, as of the time of writing. The violations are daily and ongoing.The attacks ranged from violent physical assaults and detention campaigns to movement restrictions, denial of access, intimidation, and direct gunfire. They were concentrated mainly in Nablus, with 56 attacks, followed by Ramallah with 51, and Hebron (Al-Khalil) with 15.

Repression of the Activist:

Israeli authorities have deported 32 foreign activists from the occupied territories and banned them from entry for 99 years over protecting Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest in the West Bank. The decision, directed by Interior Minister Yariv Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, came at the request of Yossi Dagan, head of the Settlements Council, who alleged that the activists cooperated with the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), a Palestinian NGO aiding farmers against settler attacks.

On October 25, Dozens of settlers physically assaulted farmers while they were picking olives near the western entrance to the village of Deir Nidham, northwest of Ramallah, beating them with rifle butts. The attack left three farmers with multiple injuries, and they were forced to leave their lands. The Israeli army later raided the town to provide protection for the settlers and arrested 31-year-old Moatasem Abdullah al-Tamimi.

In Kafr Malik, settlers injured several farmers by spraying them with pepper gas. Meanwhile, for the second week in a row, Israeli forces have been preventing farmers from accessing their lands northwest of Ramallah.

In Nahilin, Israeli settler dressed for Shabat and three soldiers taking turns beating, slapping, and assaulting Ahmad Shakarneh 65 Years old, in front of his wife, throwing him to the ground while he was harvesting olives with his family in the town of Nahalin near Bethlehem. This event shows how deep is the collaboration between settlers and soldiers to evict Palestinians from their homes, land and communities in West Bank.

On October 26

Israeli soldiers backed Israeli settlers in raiding the lands of Kobar village, north of Ramallah. They assaulte farmers during olive harvesting, arrested several residents, and seized their vehicles

Report of the second week:

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, its crews have documented a total of 158 attacks against olive pickers since the beginning of the current season, 17 carried out by Israeli army and 141 by settlers. Wadi Sa’ir in East Hebron witnessed the establishment of seven new settlement outposts, turning the area into a "closed military zone" and preventing farmers from accessing their lands and harvesting olives under threat of force. Despite prior official coordination, occupation forces expelled farmers and blocked journalists and foreign activists from reaching the area, hindering the harvest process. The lands suffered repeated attacks, with over 500 olive trees cut down, while settlers were allowed unrestricted access.

At the end of October, the army ordered the deportation of two Jewish-American women who participated in a peacebuilding olive harvest with Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank village of Burin, organized by Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR).

Report on the first month:

According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the Israeli army and colonists have carried out a total of 259 attacks against olive harvesters since the start of the season in the first week of October until the 28th of the same month. The Palestinian Authority's Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs stated in a press release issued last Tuesday that its teams documented 41 attacks by the Israeli army and 218 by colonists.

The United Nations warned that this year’s olive harvest is on track to be the most violent in more than a decade (2013) as Israeli settlers have carried out more attacks against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.

On November 1st, the fields were close by stellers and soldiers to the towns of Beita and Huwara, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, and in Sinjil, a town near Ramallah.

Three Palestinian farmers also were wounded in Al-Maniya, southeast of Bethlehem, after Israeli settlers opened fire on them as they were harvesting their olives.

On November 11, the 13-year-old Palestinian child Aysam Naser Malla'a has succumbed to his wounds three weeks after being attacked by Israeli settlers and soldiers while picking olives with his family in the village of Beita. He suffered severe tear gas inhalation during the assault.