Israeli settlers attacked at least eight Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank on Friday, setting cars and trees on fire and assaulting residents and a foreign journalist, as violence disrupted the annual olive harvest.The attacks were reported by local officials and the Palestine Red Crescent Society in the northern West Bank, where much of the territory’s olive production is concentrated. Tens of thousands of Palestinian families rely on the harvest for their livelihoods.The violence comes ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, with settler attacks having risen sharply this year and intensified in recent weeks. The far-right government, accused of encouraging the settlers, faces the prospect of either losing power or securing another term.
Rights groups slam Israeli forces
Residents and human rights organisations say Israeli authorities have done little to stop settler attacks. They allege that soldiers have sometimes helped settlers, protected them or stood by while Palestinian villages came under assault.The violence has prompted accusations of “ethnic cleansing”, including from the British government, which accused Israel of turning a “blind eye” to the campaign.“Soldiers aren’t stopping the violence or protecting Palestinians,” said Ziv Stahl, executive director of Israeli rights group Yesh Din. “If anything, they’re sometimes assisting settlers in the attacks.”The West Bank has been under Israeli military rule since the 1967 Middle East war. It is now home to around three million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported last month that more than 1,600 attacks had been recorded across the territory between January and August. Yesh Din and other rights groups say those responsible are rarely arrested or indicted.
Disputed shooting in Abu Falah
In the village of Abu Falah, settlers attacked on Friday as residents, accompanied by peace activists, headed out early to harvest olives.Israeli troops later arrived and drove into the village after dispersing the crowd from the olive groves. Residents alleged that soldiers subsequently fired live ammunition at Abdel Jaber Hassan, a village council member, despite him being unarmed and away from the trees.The Israeli military said its soldiers had opened fire because an individual was running towards them carrying a sharp object. However, Nazem Saleh Shoman, another village council member, disputed that account, saying Hassan was shot at close range while carrying tools used for olive harvesting.The Israeli military condemned the violence on Friday and acknowledged that a journalist had been injured in Abu Falah.
Dozens reported injured across the territory
The attacks were not limited to Abu Falah. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its medical teams had treated 14 injured people at six locations across the West Bank.Local officials reported at least four additional injuries in two other villages, bringing the reported number of injured people to at least 18 across the locations cited in the reports.The attacks have further disrupted the olive harvest, a crucial source of income for Palestinian families, amid growing concerns over settler violence and the ability of residents to access their farmland safely.
