Israeli Settlers Injure Three Palestinian Olive Harvesters in West Bank Attacks

Israeli settlers injured three Palestinian farmers during a series of attacks on olive harvesters across multiple communities in the northern West Bank’s Nablus governorate, according to local media reports.

The incidents, which occurred in communities including Beita, Urif, Jamma’in, Awarta, Asira Al-Qibliya, Beit Furik, and Deir Sharaf, involved settlers accompanied by Israeli forces targeting agricultural workers during the peak of the harvest season, local sources cited by the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

One Palestinian was injured in Beita, south of Nablus. In Deir Sharaf, west of the city, settlers physically assaulted a Palestinian man and his wife, leaving both with bruises and other injuries. Additionally, Israeli forces reportedly fired stun grenades and tear gas at farmers and foreign activists accompanying them during the harvest.

Video footage from Beita depicted an armed settler, apparently affiliated with a nearby settlement’s security squad, ordering Palestinians and accompanying activists to leave the area, asserting they were not permitted to be there.

These attacks coincide with the start of the annual olive harvest, a period historically marked by an escalation in settler violence and access restrictions in the occupied West Bank. In a separate incident, settlers were filmed vandalizing olive trees and harvesting olives from groves belonging to residents of Al-Mughayyir, while Israeli soldiers reportedly stood by without intervening.

Palestinian farmers face ongoing, varying restrictions on access to their olive groves across the West Bank. In certain areas, harvesting is completely prohibited, while in others, farmers must obtain prior authorization from Israel’s Civil Administration to access their land.

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