Israeli settler violence has ¡°skyrocketed¡± in the West Bank as extremists once again disrupt the economically crucial olive harvest in Palestinian communities, a United Nations official said on Tuesday.
Just two weeks into this year¡¯s olive harvest, armed Israeli settlers have burned olive groves, used a chain saw on trees, destroyed homes and agricultural infrastructure, and attacked Palestinian men, women and children, Ajith Sunghay, the Head of the U.N.¡¯s Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters from Ramallah.
¡°It is not an understatement to say that the harvest season is the economic backbone of rural Palestinian communities,¡± Sunghay said, explaining that as many as 100,000 families rely on the olive harvest for their livelihood. ¡°While the olive harvest season has always witnessed tensions and violence and restrictions, the escalation is truly alarming.¡±
The Israeli mission to the U.N. did not reply to a request for comment.
Settlers have tried to prevent Palestinian farmers from working their land for the last three years. In 2023, more than 23,700 acres of olive land was left unharvested amid settler efforts, resulting in more than $10 million in losses for Palestinians.
While the nearby Gaza Strip has been engulfed by war over the last two years, the West Bank has seen a steady rise in violence. In the first half of this year, 757 settler attacks have resulted in casualties or property damage, up 13% from attacks documented within the same period in 2024.
While the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden tried to pressure Israel¡¯s far-right government over West Bank settlers, the administration of President Donald Trump removed Biden-era sanctions. On Tuesday, the U.N.¡¯s Sunghay said settler attacks had ¡°the acquiescence, support, and in many cases participation, of Israeli security forces ¡ª and always with impunity.¡±
As the attacks unfold in the West Bank, a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire is continuing in nearby Gaza. U.S. officials including Vice President JD Vance and Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff were in Israel on Tuesday to keep the truce going.
Since the ceasefire was announced, the U.N. has delivered over 10,600 tons of essential supplies into Gaza, including food, medicine and materials for shelter, according to a Tuesday statement from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.