The use of live ammunition, arson and the destruction of centuries-old olive trees have marked the opening weeks of this year's harvest in the occupied West Bank.
At least 160 Israeli settler attacks linked to the olive harvest were recorded in the first two weeks of October, according to the UN aid coordination office ( OCHA ) - often under the protection of, or with the participation of, Israeli forces.
Settlers have also damaged Palestinian property and stolen harvested olives and farm equipment. Last Friday, they assaulted a Washington Post photojournalist covering the harvest and the following day attacked European diplomats visiting a Palestinian community.
On Thursday, the UN human rights office ( OHCHR ) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory urged states and donors to go beyond condemnation and take urgent action to protect Palestinian communities as the season gets off to an "ominous start".
Cut off from their land
Thousands of Palestinian farmers are unable to reach their olive trees because of severe Israeli movement restrictions, which have dramatically worsened over the past three years. Meanwhile, according to OHCHR, settlers are being allowed onto Palestinians' land to harvest their crops.
"Palestinians often say that olive trees are symbolic of their existence as a group and their connection to the land," said Ajith Sunghay, Head of the UN human rights office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
"This is yet another tool of displacement and dispossession, adding to the suffering of communities whose rights are under attack on a daily basis."
The toll on the olive sector has been heavy. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture estimates losses at $157 million since October 2023 and says 90 per cent of Gaza's two million olive trees have been destroyed in that time.
In the West Bank, 286,000 olive trees were damaged between 2023 and the end of September 2026, including 100,000 this year, even before the harvest season began.
Call to action
Mr. Sunghay reiterated a call by the Protection Cluster - a network of more than 100 international and national organisations led by his office - for Member States to increase their diplomatic field presence in high-risk communities, particularly during harvest periods.
The Cluster urged national governments to press Israel to ensure Palestinians' safe access to their agricultural land, protect farmers from violence and expulsion, strengthen accountability and end settler expansion.
It also called on donors to provide:
- timely and flexible funding for protective presence
- legal assistance
- food security
- livelihoods interventions
Amid Israeli settler attacks across the West Bank over the years, UN agencies have a long history of taking action to protect Palestinian farmers.
Staffers with the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees ( UNRWA ) have helped farmers harvest olives, including in Beit Surik , Biddu and Wadi Fukin .
UN officials have also met with communities to mitigate attacks, including allocating $750,000 from the Humanitarian Fund in 2024 to support olive farmers, saying they must have unimpeded and safe access to their groves.
