Israel arrests 36 Palestinians in West Bank as olive harvest attacks surge
A Palestinian commission says Israeli forces and settlers carried out 17 attacks on farmers and their land in a single day during the olive harvest.
At a glance
- Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians in raids across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, including 10 in Jenin governorate.
- The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission says it documented 17 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers on farmers and land in one day.
- US congressional candidate Brad Lander was briefly detained by the Israeli military on Wednesday while volunteering at the harvest.
Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians during raids across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, as attacks on Palestinian farmers and their land escalated during the olive harvest season, according to Palestinian officials and the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Arrests reported across the West Bank
In Jenin governorate, Israeli forces raided towns and villages and arrested 10 Palestinians, Wafa reported, citing data from the Palestinian Prisoner's Society.
In Hebron governorate, forces raided the town of Tuqu and arrested former prisoner Shorok al-Badan along with five others from other parts of Hebron. The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said 14 people were arrested in Khirbet Jawaya village in Masafer Yatta, also in Hebron, while Wafa reported that three more Palestinians were arrested elsewhere in the governorate, citing a security source.
Three further arrests were reported during raids in Nablus and Jerusalem, in the village of Burin, the town of Awarta and the Qalandiya refugee camp.
17 attacks documented in one day
The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission said it documented what it described as 17 pogroms by Israeli forces and settlers on Thursday against Palestinian farmers and their land during the olive harvest.
The incidents were recorded in Hebron, Qalqilya, Nablus, Ramallah and el-Bireh, Jenin and Salfit. According to the commission, the attacks included assaults on farmers, blocking farmers from reaching their land, theft of crops and farm equipment, damage to and burning of olive trees, as well as arrests, threats at gunpoint and live gunfire.
The commission said the pattern marked an escalation in attacks targeting the olive harvest and undermined Palestinians' ability to reach and cultivate their land and sustain their livelihoods.
International attention
The attacks have drawn international attention and condemnation. US Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was briefly detained on Wednesday by the Israeli military and given a warning while volunteering to help Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the occupied West Bank.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- How many Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank raids?
- Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to Palestinian officials and the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
- What is happening to Palestinian olive farmers?
- The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission documented 17 attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in one day, including assaults on farmers, theft of crops and farm equipment, and burning of olive trees.
- Did the olive harvest attacks draw international attention?
- Yes. The attacks drew international attention and condemnation, and US Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander was briefly detained with a warning by the Israeli military while volunteering to help farmers harvest olives.
