Since the start of the olive-picking season in early October, thousands of Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank have contended with a surge in violence and enforced exclusion from their lands. According to the Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), a total of 340 attacks have been logged so far, spanning severe beatings, movement restrictions, land access denial and live fire incidents. 

Of those 340 recorded incidents, 62 were attributed to the Israeli military and 278 to settlers, the commission’s head, Mu’ayyad Sha’ban, reported. Nearly 92 cases involved restrictions of movement and intimidation, and 59 cases were direct assaults on farmers. The majority of attacks occurred in Ramallah (107 cases), followed by Nablus (94) and Hebron (38).

Agriculture, especially the olive harvest, remains deeply rooted in Palestinian identity and livelihood. Analysts say the sharp increase in attacks reflects a deliberate strategy of rural disenfranchisement, set against the backdrop of the broader genocidal war that began in October 2023. The repeated declaration of farmlands as closed military zones, the arming of settler militias and the near-complete impunity enjoyed by perpetrators alike signal a systemic effort to strip Palestinians of their connection to their land. 

Despite the violence and the fear it evokes, Palestinian families persist in heading to the groves. They understand that to relinquish their orchards would be to relinquish more than a crop, it would be a forfeiture of heritage, stability and hope.