UN warns of 'ominous start' to the West Bank olive harvest
OCHA counted at least 160 harvest-related settler attacks in the first two weeks of October, while movement restrictions keep thousands of farmers from their trees.
The UN recorded at least 160 Israeli settler attacks linked to the olive harvest in the first two weeks of October, many carried out under the protection of, or with the participation of, Israeli forces, its humanitarian office said.
Settlers used live ammunition, started fires, cut down old trees and stole picked olives and equipment, according to the UN. A Washington Post photojournalist was assaulted while covering the harvest near Ramallah, and European diplomats were attacked the following day.
“This is yet another tool of displacement and dispossession”
Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN human rights office in the occupied Palestinian territory
The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture estimates losses of $157 million since October 2023 and says 90 per cent of Gaza's two million olive trees have been destroyed. In the West Bank, 286,000 trees were damaged between 2023 and September 2026.
The UN human rights office urged governments to go beyond condemnation, calling for a stronger diplomatic presence in at-risk communities and funding for legal aid and protective presence.
Reported from
- UN News21 Oct
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