Illegal Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in West Bank: Head of village council

By Aysar Alais

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Illegal Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers on Tuesday as they harvested olives in the village of Yasuf, near Salfit in the northern West Bank, according to the head of the village council.

Wail Abu Madi told Anadolu that a group of illegal settlers assaulted Mohammed Sabri Al-Shayeb and his son in the Harika Abdullah area in the northeast, causing bruises and other injuries.

He added that the illegal settlers forced the farmers off their land and stole harvested olives, along with agricultural equipment.​​​​​​​

The settlers reportedly came from the nearby settlements of Taffuh and Nevehemiah -- built on Yasuf.

Abu Madi noted that the settlers previously carried out attacks, including cutting down trees, burning vehicles and harassing residents, in an apparent effort to push locals off their land for settlement expansion.

Attacks by illegal Israeli settlers on Palestinian farmers and fields are frequent and often intensify during the annual olive harvest season -- from October through November.

More than 720,000 settlers live in settlements across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to Israeli estimates.

In recent years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the onset of the onslaught against the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.

Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 780 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 6,300 injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio