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The weekly settlement report from the National Bureau for the Defense of Land and Resistance to Settlement reveals a severe crisis hitting the West Bank's olive sector, where the harvest season has shifted from an agricultural activity to a zone of open conflict. The report highlights how the convergence of military policies and settlement expansion, fueled by extremist religious rhetoric, has unprecedentedly restricted Palestinian farmers' access to their lands.
Since the start of the season, the National Bureau has documented over 500 attacks by settlers and Israeli forces across approximately 200 Palestinian communities, primarily concentrated in Jenin, Nablus, Salfit, and Ramallah. These incidents include total bans on harvesting in dozens of locations and over 150 documented cases of crop theft, with Nablus recording the highest frequency of tree vandalism and fruit seizure.
The report underscores the danger of a religious ruling (fatwa) issued by Israeli Rabbi Dov Lior, which authorized settlers to seize Palestinian crops based on ideological claims of land ownership. This follows previous extremist literature such as 'The King's Torah,' which provides religious justification for the appropriation of non-Jewish property during conflict, offering an ideological cover for organized looting.
Economically, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture projects olive oil production to plummet to between 10,000 and 11,000 tons this season. This represents a nearly 50% decline from initial estimates of 21,000 tons. Restricted access to lands situated behind the Separation Wall and near settlements threatens the loss of harvest for nearly half of the cultivated areas in several governorates.
New punitive measures by the Israeli military now prohibit farmers from entering so-called 'state lands' for harvesting, while requiring prior coordination for private land access. Losses are not limited to unpicked fruit; the report notes that stolen olives are being processed in mills within settlements to market the oil for private profit. Cumulative direct losses to the olive sector due to tree destruction and land access denials since 2023 have exceeded 157 million dollars.
Source: Shehab News Agency