The regional head of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the Occupied Palestinian Territory warned on Oct. 21 that Israeli settlers are increasing violence against Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank. The statement comes at the start of the critical olive harvest season, a main source of income for many Palestinian families.

According to the OHCHR statement, 757 settler attacks took place in the first six months of this year, a 13% increase compared to the same period last year. The attacks appear to be escalating as the harvest season arrives. The report found that within the past week (Oct. 7-13), settlers carried out at least 71 attacks in the West Bank, leaving at least one dead and scores injured.

Ajith Sunghay, head of the OHCHR for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated:

Settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency, with the acquiescence, support, and in many cases participation, of Israeli security forces—and always with impunity… Two weeks into the start of the 2025 harvest, we have already seen severe attacks by armed settlers against Palestinian men, women, children, and foreign solidarity activists.

Israeli security forces often protect the settlers even amid their strategic attacks, the statement charged. Video footage shows the settlers burning or uprooting olive trees, setting fire to homes and vehicles, and beating farmers.

The OHCHR noted a multi-year trend in these attacks, finding that 96,000 dunums (around 9,600 hectares) of olive groves were left unharvested in 2023 due to attacks and harassment, leading to over $10 million in losses for Palestinian farmers. Since October 2023, Israeli settlers have killed at least 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and displaced thousands more. Additionally, olive trees historically represent more than just income to the Palestinian people, but groves cared for over generations symbolize attachment to the land.

Sunghay also warned that the settler violence is part of a larger scheme to annex the entire West Bank. He stressed Israel's legal responsibility to end the occupation of Palestinian land, pursuant to the International Court of Justice ruling of July 2024. He also urged all UN member states to "exercise maximum pressure to protect civilians, halt and reverse these policies, and ensure accountability for decades of violations."

From JURIST, Oct. 23. Used with permission.

Note: The ICJ ruling on Israel's occupation and settlement of Palestinian territory was an advisory opinion requested by the UN General Assembly. Two interim rulings have been issued in the separate ICJ case accusing Israel of genocide. Israel is now accused of an annexationist agenda on both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.