21st Oct, 2025: The head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Muayyad Shaaban, stated that the Israeli occupation army and settlers have carried out a total of 158 attacks against olive pickers since the beginning of the current olive harvest season.
In a press statement issued by the Commission on Tuesday, Shaaban explained that field teams from the Commission documented 17 attacks committed by the Israeli army and 141 attacks by settlers.
He noted that these attacks ranged from violent physical assaults, arrests, movement restrictions, denial of access, intimidation and harassment in all its forms, and direct gunfire, as occurred in the Tubas Governorate.
The attacks were concentrated mainly in the Nablus Governorate, which witnessed 56 cases, followed by Ramallah with 51 cases, and then Hebron with 15 cases.
Shaaban pointed out that this season recorded 57 cases of movement restrictions and intimidation against olive pickers, in addition to 22 cases of beating and physical assault against farmers.
He stressed that this olive season which coincides with the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people is one of the most difficult and dangerous in decades, as the army and settlers exploited wartime conditions to commit crimes backed by numerous policies and legislations that encourage violence and terrorism, especially through the closure of governorates, arming settler militias, and granting them immunity from accountability and prosecution. He added that this season witnessed a deliberate escalation in declaring agricultural lands as closed military zones.
Shaaban further noted that 74 attacks targeted olive-planted lands this season, including 29 incidents of cutting, uprooting, and bulldozing olive groves, which led to the destruction of a total of 795 olive trees.
He affirmed that the occupation state continues its efforts to undermine the Palestinian way of life, which is historically rooted in the land as a source of livelihood and identity. Shaaban added that the occupation systematically targets the olive harvest season due to the deep emotional and historical bond between Palestinians and their land. All these practices, he said, aim to weaken this relationship and are part of a clear and declared plan to control Palestinian geography and deny Palestinians access to their lands.
Shaaban concluded by emphasizing that, through their determination to access their lands, carry out the harvest, and defy occupation orders, the Palestinian people have foiled settlers’ plans and reaffirmed the resilience and steadfastness that continues to challenge and overcome the occupation’s measures.
