In brief
The Saudi Press Agency records a wave of incidents in which Israeli settlers and forces assaulted olive farmers in Hebron, Ramallah‑Bethlehem, Nablus, Qalqilya‑Eastern Lebanon side, Bethlehem, and Salfit. The attacks resulted in injuries, arrests of farmers and foreign volunteers, theft of produce, forced evacuations, and the establishment of new settlement outposts. The report highlights the ongoing violence and its impact on the olive‑growing communities.
On 31 October 2026 the Saudi Press Agency released a statement reporting that Israeli settlers and forces carried out a series of violent attacks on Palestinian olive farmers and their lands across five governorates of the West Bank, resulting in injuries, arrests, crop theft and the establishment of new settlement outposts.
In the city of Hâlîl (Hebron) the agency reported that five Palestinian citizens were injured when settlers assaulted them during the olive‑harvest in the Tal Al‑Ramîda neighbourhood. The settlers’ violent intrusions caused the farmers to flee their fields and left the area scarred.
In the governorates of Ramallah and Bethlehem the assaults were more widespread. Settlers fired live rounds at houses in the village of Marghîl and shattered olive trees south‑west of the village of Barqa. Restless Israeli forces used gas bombs against residents in the town of Kafr Malik, citing it as a military zone, while students and supporters from foreign countries were subsequently arrested. The police also seized a cargo of olive fruit in Dîr Dibwan and forced farmers to abandon their lands in the villages of Salwâd and Termaisiyâ.
The governorate of Nablus was not spared. A farmer was injured during an assault by settlers, who also stole an entire harvest of olives from the area known as Al‑Masʿûdiyâ. The theft and the violent confrontation left the farmer without produce and the local community questioning their ability to harvest safely.
In the region of Al‑Laban to the east, more than thirty Palestinian farmers were forced to leave their fields. The police also targeted the small village of Bīṭ Dijīn and the nearby settlement of Bīta in the tribal area, effectively preventing the farmers from accessing their own land. The attacks present a clear pattern of intimidation and displacement.
The Bethlehem governorate saw a direct assault on olive farmers in the village of Abû Nǧîm. Israeli forces threatened the farmers with guns, forced them to abandon their lands and arrested three of the farmers. A group of foreign supporters, numbering in the dozens, were detained and escorted to the nearest settlement outpost, where they faced harsh conditions.
In Salfit, a farmer was transported to a hospital after being beaten by settlers near the village of Wādah, north of Raqaqīn. The assault left his vehicle damaged and the farmer in urgent need of medical attention. The incident underscored the continuing hostile environment for agricultural workers in the region.
Repercussions for the Olive‑Growing Communities
The cumulative effect of these attacks is a growing disruption of the olive harvest and a pervasive sense of insecurity among Palestinian farmers. The Israeli authorities’ deployment of forces in rural areas, coupled with targeted arrests of farmers and foreign advocates, signals a strategy of deterrence that is eroding both the livelihoods and the cultural heritage of these communities. The establishment of new settlement outposts and the forced evacuation of farmers further exacerbates the tension and threatens the long‑standing practice of olive cultivation in the West Bank.
