As the olive trees ripen across the hills of the West Bank, settlers are once again setting the land ablaze. In a wave of violence that swept through several villages on Sunday, Israeli settlers torched vehicles, uprooted centuries-old olive trees, and vandalised Palestinian homes and farmlands. In Majdal Bani Fadil, southeast of Nablus, two cars were reduced to twisted metal after settlers stormed the village and scrawled racist graffiti across its walls.

Similar scenes unfolded in Al-Taybeh and Al-Mughayyir, where groves of olive trees, a lifeline for many Palestinian families , were torn from the earth. Around 150 trees were destroyed in a single attack, their roots ripped from soil that has sustained generations. Elsewhere, beehives were stolen and smashed, extinguishing yet another source of livelihood. Each act of destruction strikes not only at property but at the bond between Palestinians and their land, a bond that has endured despite repeated attempts to break it.

Since October 2023, settler violence has escalated to alarming levels, with thousands of incidents recorded and dozens of Palestinians killed. Many accuse the military of shielding the perpetrators, allowing these crimes to continue unchecked. As the olive harvest season approaches, farmers prepare not only to gather their crops but to defend them, once again facing a season overshadowed by fear, destruction, and impunity.