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Facing Settler Violence, Palestinian Farmers Race to Harvest
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Conflict & Security

Facing Settler Violence, Palestinian Farmers Race to Harvest

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank are racing against time to harvest their crops due to escalating settler violence.
  • Settlers have recently set fire to crops and damaged thousands of trees and livestock, with attacks averaging six per day in 2026.
  • Farmers describe the harvest season, once a celebration, as now feeling like stealing their own produce due to fear and movement restrictions.

In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian farmers like Hamad Jazi are engaged in a desperate race against time to harvest their wheat. Under the blazing sun, they use makeshift equipment to collect crops, fearing that Israeli settlers will destroy them. Jazi's village of As-Sawiyah has seen settlers set fire to fields multiple times recently.

The settlers have set fires twice already -- yesterday and the day before. If you think back 10, 15 or 20 years ago, this season used to be a season of abundance. Today, you are racing against time just to harvest quickly and leave.

— Hamad JaziA Palestinian farmer describes the escalating settler violence and its impact on the harvest season.

"If you think back 10, 15 or 20 years ago, this season used to be a season of abundance. Today, you are racing against time just to harvest quickly and leave," Jazi told AFP. He described the current atmosphere as one of constant fear, a stark contrast to the celebratory harvests of the past.

Settler violence has intensified, with data from the UN humanitarian agency OCHA indicating an average of six attacks per day in 2026. These attacks include vandalizing property, committing arson, and killing livestock. The Palestinian Authority's agriculture ministry reported that settlers killed or stole 8,000 goats or sheep and damaged 41,000 olive trees in 2026.

In the past, when we went out into the fields, the olive harvest was a celebration; the grain harvest was a celebration. Now, we live those moments like thieves. We go and 'steal' our own olives or our own crops.

— Hamad JaziA Palestinian farmer contrasts the past abundance and celebratory nature of harvests with the current fear and insecurity.

Mahmud Fatafta of the Palestinian Authority's agriculture ministry stated that settlers killed or stole 8,000 goats or sheep in the West Bank in 2026. His ministry's data also shows that 41,000 olive trees were damaged by settlers or the Israeli military in the same year. Hikmat Abu Ras, head of As-Sawiya's village council, noted that his community has faced near-daily settler attacks since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. He believes these actions aim to drive Palestinians off their land and restrict their access to it.

They constantly carry out these practices in order to drive us off our land and prevent us from entering it.

— Hikmat Abu RasThe head of As-Sawiya's village council explains the perceived motive behind settler attacks.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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