Burning, bulldozing and violence: How Israeli settlers have turned the joyful olive-picking season into a nightmare for Palestinian families

On a mild morning in the West Bank on 9 November, Riham Jafari joined Palestinian olive farmers and ActionAid volunteers dressed in brightly coloured t-shirts to quickly pick olives. 

All year, the families in the West Bank have waited for the olive harvest, but this year, the harvest season is accompanied by widespread fear and dread among Palestinians. 

“Only yesterday, in Hebron, settlers attacked the people,” the ActionAid Palestine (AAP) worker told The New Arab.

“Recently, there was a woman in a village near Jenin who was killed while picking her olive harvest. They [settlers] also attack the olive trees, cutting and uprooting them. Sometimes, they steal the crops that have been picked.”

Olive harvest season takes place each October and November in Palestine. It’s usually a season of rejoicing and high spirits, but not this year, as a result of increased violence and destruction from Israeli settlers. 

"Settlers feel they can do anything under the impunity they have, under the protection of the Israeli army and government. They feel they are protected, and they can do whatever they want against the Palestinians"

“The olive harvest is an important social season where farmers gather, sing, and spend time with their friends and relatives on their land,” Riham said.

“But this season, these rituals do not exist. The West Bank has become a nightmare.”

As many as 700,000 Israeli settlers are living illegally in the occupied West Bank. At least 150 settlements and 128 outposts dot the West Bank and East Jerusalem, stolen by Israeli settlers who have moved for religious reasons, a low cost of living, or financial incentives from the government. And the number of settlements is rising at a record level under Netanyahu’s administration.  

“The settlements came after the occupation of the West Bank in 1967,” Riham said. “According to the UN and international conventions, these lands are for Palestinians within the two-state solution. All of the settlements are illegal according to international law.”

About 40 percent of the occupied West Bank land is now controlled by settlements. They are scattered in such a way that separates the Palestinian parts of the West Bank, making a future adjacent state nearly impossible, according to critics.

Decades of violence

The violence and harassment of olive farmers have existed for years. Since 1967, more than 800,000 Palestinian olive trees have been uprooted by Israeli authorities and settlers.

Settlers have been known to burn, poison and bulldoze trees, and block their water sources. 

Violence against Palestinians – beatings, shooting, vandalism – has happened daily across the West Bank for years, with the IDF having been documented both turning a blind eye and even joining in. 

But Riham said the destruction of trees and violence towards farmers has become much worse in the last year, particularly since 7 October 2023 as Israel's war on Gaza began. 

“There is definitely increasing violence from settlers,” she said. “They [settlers] feel they can do anything under the impunity they have, under the protection of the Israeli army and government. They feel they are protected, and they can do whatever they want against the Palestinians. There are no actions taken against them to stop them from their attacks or violence.”

There was an average of four incidents of settler violence per day in the occupied West Bank since 7 October, with at least 1,423 incidents recorded.  

Right now, the brunt of this violence is felt by olive farmers, who depend on their harvest to afford basic necessities like flour and oil. 

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recently accused Israel of using “war-like” tactics in the West Bank amid settler attacks and violence since the olive harvest.

The international body said that nine people were killed by Israeli forces between 8 and 14 October, with 32 settler attacks since the beginning of October on Palestinians and their property related to the olive harvest.

Furthermore, 600 olive trees have been burned, vandalised or stolen by settlers. 

Many farmers can’t even access their lands, and if they do get access, they don’t have long enough to pick the fruits of the labour. 

“In some areas, they have a permit system which means Palestinians have to apply for a permit from the Israeli administration to get access to their olive farms,” Riham continued. “It’s what they call a coordination system.”

Traditions transformed by fear

Since 7 October 2023, many farmers have been warned by IDF that if they try to reach their lands, they will be shot. 

Mariam, a mother in her 40s from a village south of the West Bank, remembered “beautiful” times of picking olives with her family in years gone by. 

“I am afraid of taking my young sons to pick olives. They might be at risk of arrest by the Israeli army"

“My children and I enjoyed picking olives,” she told The New Arab. “We used to enjoy cooking and having our lunch. Olive harvest was a picnic day for us. We were cooking our meals in our fields without fear.”

Now, she is petrified of going to her olive farm because she doesn’t know if and when the settlers will attack her family. 

“Our rituals of olive harvest have changed,” she said. “I am afraid of taking my young sons to pick olives. They might be at risk of arrest by the Israeli army.

"We are worried and intimated all the time by armed settlers who come to steal our lands. We pick olives quickly and nowadays need coordination to reach our lands.”

Ahmad is another farmer in the occupied West Bank who can’t reach his land. 

“We need coordination and permits to reach our lands nowadays,” he told The New Arab.

“There was huge suffering during this year. The olive harvest in the past was a happy occasion for picnic day, entertainment and joy for members of the family and sons, but these moments disappeared," Ahmad adds. 

"We are afraid of taking our children and families because there might be Israeli settlers and army attacks. Accessing our lands and picking our olives has become a nightmare.”

Unable to access their lands, Mariam and Ahmad’s livelihoods have taken a massive hit, as is true for many olive farmers in the West Bank. 

Olives are the largest single agricultural product in the West Bank, bringing in £55 million a year for farmers. Without it, Riham said they struggle to access the necessities to live. 

The only answer, according to her, is protection from the Israeli government and the international community, particularly the United States. 

“They [Palestinians in the occupied West Bank] should be protected, respected, and secure to reach their lands,” Riham concluded.

“Ultimately, there should be an end to settlement on the West Bank.”

Lauren Crosby Medlicott is a freelance features writer specialising in social justice issues

Follow her on X: @LaurenMedlicott