Israeli attacks on olive harvest ‘threaten Palestinian way of life’: UN

UNRWA says October ‘on way to beryllium the astir convulsive month’ since it began tracking settler unit successful 2013.

Israeli settlers person carried retired much attacks against Palestinians crossed the occupied West Bank, arsenic the United Nations warned that this year’s olive harvest is connected way to beryllium the astir convulsive successful much than a decade.

The Palestinian authoritative quality bureau Wafa reported respective incidents of settler unit connected Saturday, including successful fields adjacent to the towns of Beita and Huwara, adjacent the bluish West Bank metropolis of Nablus, and successful Sinjil, a municipality adjacent Ramallah.

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Three Palestinian farmers besides were wounded successful al-Maniya, southeast of Bethlehem, aft Israeli settlers opened occurrence connected them arsenic they were harvesting their olives.

Palestinians successful the West Bank person experienced a surge successful settler and subject attacks since Israel launched its Gaza warfare successful 2023. But this year’s olive harvest season, which began past month, has brought an adjacent greater summation successful convulsive incidents.

The UN’s bureau for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said connected Saturday that October “is connected way to beryllium the astir convulsive period since UNRWA began tracking settler unit successful 2013”.

“The yearly olive harvest is the superior livelihood for tens of thousands of Palestinians, with olive trees profoundly rooted successful Palestinian practice and identity,” Roland Friedrich, manager of UNRWA affairs successful the West Bank, said successful a connection shared connected societal media.

“Attacks connected the olive harvest endanger the precise mode of beingness for galore Palestinians and further deepen the coercive situation successful the occupied West Bank,” Friedrich said. “Families should beryllium allowed unhindered entree to their lands to harvest their olives successful harmless conditions.”

According to the latest UN figures, released connected Thursday, astatine slightest 126 Israeli settler attacks person been recorded successful 70 Palestinian towns and villages truthful acold this olive harvest season.

More than 4,000 olive trees and saplings besides person been vandalised, the UN’s humanitarian bureau (OCHA) found.

Meanwhile, OCHA said that the enlargement of amerciable Israeli colony outposts successful the West Bank has “further undermined Palestinian farmers’ quality to scope their lands” to harvest their olive trees.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities has been rapidly expanding colony enactment successful the shadiness of the Gaza war, drafting condemnation and warnings from the UN and planetary quality rights groups.

Far-right Israeli politicians, including members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, person besides been pushing for Israel to formally annex the West Bank.

In July, the UN quality rights bureau warned that escalating settler unit successful the West Bank is being carried retired “with the acquiescence, support, and successful immoderate cases participation, of Israeli information forces”.

Settler and subject attacks “are portion of a broader and coordinated strategy of the State of Israel to grow and consolidate annexation of the occupied West Bank, portion reinforcing its strategy of discrimination, oppression and power implicit Palestinians there”, it said.