Palestinian Colonization Commission Reports 19 Settler Attacks on Harvest
Palestinian olive harvesters faced at least 19 separate attacks across the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.
The Commission, a body operating under the Palestine Liberation Organization, documented widespread disruptions across multiple West Bank locations. In Qusra, more than 50 olive trees were uprooted by settlers. In Tal, farmers were assaulted and injured while a Palestinian-owned vehicle was set on fire. Additional harvesters were targeted in Jorish, Beita, Naqoura, Birzeit, Deir Bzeih, and Farata.
According to local reports cited by Al Jazeera, a farmer was injured in reported gunfire in Kafr ad-Dik, while live ammunition was reported during a settler pogrom backed by Israeli forces in Deir Ballut. In Berin, east of Hebron, an elderly Palestinian woman was injured after settlers set dogs on farmers and stole sheep in Ein Qinya. A Palestinian man and his child were attacked and their vehicle stolen in Yabrud, with similar vehicle attacks reported in Sarda and al-Rihan.
Reporting from Ramallah for Al Jazeera, Nida Ibrahim stated that settlers, backed by Israeli forces, have grown increasingly brazen during the harvest despite the presence of foreign activists and observers. Palestinians are forced to travel in large groups alongside international solidarity activists to deter intimidation, Ibrahim reported, noting that settlers frequently wait until harvesting groups begin to leave before initiating attacks under the protection of the Israeli army.
Israel Katz Directs Exclusion Orders Against Harvest Activists
Ahead of the harvest, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz directed officials to take steps toward issuing administrative exclusion orders against activists whose activities are deemed a threat to public order and security, i24NEWS reported. The order was issued following a request by the Yesha Council and Binyamin Regional Council chairman, Israel Gantz, who urged officials to block activists from accessing agricultural areas.
The appeal cited organizing by groups including the Global Sumud Flotilla, Go Palestine, Protect the Harvest, Faz3a, and the International Solidarity Movement. "The residents of Judea and Samaria are not a backdrop for the campaigns of foreign activists," Gantz said in a statement reported by i24NEWS, accusing both Israeli and foreign participants of deliberately generating confrontations.
These security measures run parallel to long-standing economic stakes for the region. According to Israel’s Civil Administration, the olive industry serves as the backbone of the Palestinian agricultural sector, supporting more than 100,000 families comprising over 500,000 people.
Military Raids and Arrests in West Bank Towns
Alongside the harvest violence, the Israeli army arrested 16 Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa and local sources speaking to Anadolu.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 86 settler attacks leaving 112 Palestinians injured during the 2025 olive harvest season, following 80 incidents and 50 injuries recorded during the equivalent period in 2024.