Israeli settlers have intensified their attacks on Palestinian villages across the West Bank as the country's deadly war on Gaza continues. The violence is targeting farmers harvesting olives, with three Palestinians injured in Deir Nidham, northwest of Ramallah, after being assaulted by settlers near the village's western entrance.
Settler attacks often occur under the protection of Israeli soldiers who are accused of complicity by human rights organizations. "The settlers are armed, dangerous, and many of them serve in the army – that is exactly why we accuse the Israeli army of complicity," said Al Jazeera journalist Nour Odeh.
Harvesting olives is a vital economic activity for many Palestinians, with 80,000 to 100,000 families relying on it as their primary or secondary source of income. However, this year's olive harvest season has brought a surge in violence, with settlers and the Israeli army carrying out over 158 attacks against farmers.
The attacks are intended to drive Palestinians out of their homes and create an environment where staying is untenable and unsafe. Seventeen of these attacks were carried out by the Israeli army, while 141 were carried out by settlers who enjoy total impunity for acts of violence against Palestinians.
On Saturday, settlers sprayed pepper gas at Palestinian farmers in Kafr Malek, east of Ramallah, injuring several people. In another incident, a settler and three Israeli soldiers beat a 65-year-old farmer in Nahalin, near Bethlehem.
The situation is further complicated by the Israeli government's right-wing policies, which have emboldened settlers to carry out these attacks. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported that since October last year, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 10,000 wounded.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements and settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which have targeted Palestinian property over 2,400 times in the last two years. At least 3,055 people have been displaced as a result of these attacks.
Settler attacks often occur under the protection of Israeli soldiers who are accused of complicity by human rights organizations. "The settlers are armed, dangerous, and many of them serve in the army – that is exactly why we accuse the Israeli army of complicity," said Al Jazeera journalist Nour Odeh.
Harvesting olives is a vital economic activity for many Palestinians, with 80,000 to 100,000 families relying on it as their primary or secondary source of income. However, this year's olive harvest season has brought a surge in violence, with settlers and the Israeli army carrying out over 158 attacks against farmers.
The attacks are intended to drive Palestinians out of their homes and create an environment where staying is untenable and unsafe. Seventeen of these attacks were carried out by the Israeli army, while 141 were carried out by settlers who enjoy total impunity for acts of violence against Palestinians.
On Saturday, settlers sprayed pepper gas at Palestinian farmers in Kafr Malek, east of Ramallah, injuring several people. In another incident, a settler and three Israeli soldiers beat a 65-year-old farmer in Nahalin, near Bethlehem.
The situation is further complicated by the Israeli government's right-wing policies, which have emboldened settlers to carry out these attacks. The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported that since October last year, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 10,000 wounded.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements and settlement outposts across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, which have targeted Palestinian property over 2,400 times in the last two years. At least 3,055 people have been displaced as a result of these attacks.
this situation with Palestinians is getting so outta hand! 
The settlers are literally terrorizing these farmers just to get what they want - land and resources... like what's the point, right? 
It's not like anyone's gonna magically give it to them. And the Israeli army's complicity in this is just mind-boggling... I mean, come on, they're basically backing down these settlers who are doing all this violence. 
They just wanna live their lives, farm their land, and raise their families in peace. But noooo, these settlers and the Israeli government are always gonna try to make things more complicated than they need to be.
And for what? So some settlers can have their olives and feel all entitled? Give me a break! 
We need to support these people, stand up for them, and demand justice. 
this is getting super crazy, like the violence against Palestinians is just getting more intense by the day... and it's not just the settlers, the army is complicit too 
. I mean, can't we talk about something else for once? 
1,000+ Palestinians killed or wounded since October, that's a lot of lives lost. And those settlements, they're like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off... 700k settlers living in occupied land, it's just not fair 
. I'm all for peace and coexistence, but how can we even have that when there's so much aggression going on? 
.
the olive harvest season is supposed to be this huge deal for Palestinian families - they rely on it for income. and yet these settlers come in and start causing chaos. 
and the army is complicit, what's up with that? 
and now they're facin attacks on harvestin season? it's just heartbreaking 
.
"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine 
The situation with Palestinian farmers being attacked by Israeli settlers under military protection is heartbreaking 
this is a human rights crisis right before our eyes 
and the army is just letting them get away with it 
and the fact that settlers are armed and serving in the army makes it even worse 
this is just so heartbreaking what's going on in Israel/Palestine it feels like a never-ending nightmare with innocent ppl getting hurt and having their livelihoods destroyed i mean we've seen movies like "The Intifada" and "Paradise Now" that showed the harsh reality of living in such a volatile region but nothing can prepare u for the real thing 
. It's not fair at all. And it's not just the people getting hurt, it's also the families who rely on the olive harvest for income. They're being driven out of their homes 
. The government should do something about this ASAP 
. We can't keep seeing innocent people get caught in the middle of this conflict 
. I think we need to take a closer look at how the military and government are handling these situations and make some serious changes 
.
... and its not like they're doing it alone, those soldiers are always around, protecting them so they can carry out these attacks 
. Its not fair at all! And what's even crazier is that the Israeli army is kinda complicit in it? Like, isn't there something they can do about it?