The key facts

  • Settlers set olive trees on fire in the Al-Shabaat area near the village of Imatin east of Qalqilya
  • Soldiers forced farmers off lands in the Al-Jabal area and detained the landowner along with workers
  • CWRC recorded 409 attacks between October 1 and 21: 317 by settlers, 92 by the army

Arson and expulsion of farmers near Qalqilya

On Thursday, according to local sources, Israeli settlers set olive trees on fire east of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank, while Israeli soldiers forced Palestinian farmers to leave their lands and prevented them from continuing the harvest. Sources told Anadolu that settlers stormed into the Al-Shabaat area on the lands of the village of Imatin and set the trees on fire. In the same area, soldiers forced farmers who were picking olives in the Al-Jabal area to leave the land, and also detained the landowner and his workers.

Attack statistics for the harvest season

According to Anadolu monitoring, since the start of the olive harvest season in early October, settler attacks have repeatedly occurred in the occupied West Bank, including crop theft, assaults on farmers, expelling them from their lands and blocking access to fields. The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission (CWRC) documented 409 attacks on farmers, olive trees, agricultural land and equipment between October 1 and 21: 317 attacks were carried out by settlers and 92 by the Israeli army.

Context and assessments

According to Anadolu, since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have intensified attacks on Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Palestinians warn that these measures pave the way for the formal annexation of the West Bank by Israel and undermine the prospects for the creation of a Palestinian state under the relevant UN resolutions. The outlet also provides historical context: Israel was created in 1948 on Palestinian lands seized by armed Zionist groups, whose attacks and massacres led to the displacement of at least 750,000 Palestinians; in 1967, Israel occupied the remaining Palestinian territories and refuses to withdraw from them. It should be noted that the wording presented reflects the position of the source (Anadolu) and Palestinian structures.