GENEVA: Palestinian farmers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are facing the most dangerous olive season ever, UN experts said today.
The intimidation of farmers, restriction of access to lands, severe harassment and attacks by Israeli armed settlers and occupation forces further undermine the food sovereignty of Palestinian families and are yet another attack on Palestinian self-determination, the experts warned.
‘In 2023, the harvest was marred by a sharp increase in movement restrictions and violence by Israeli forces and settlers,’ the experts said. ‘Last year, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, faced the highest level of Israeli settler violence, including settlers physically assaulting Palestinians, setting fire or damaging their property and crops, stealing sheep, blocking them from accessing their land, water and grazing areas, causing a record number of Palestinians to be displaced after being forced to leave their homes and lands.’
‘Last year, Israel also seized mor
e Palestinian land than in any year in the past 30 years.’
“The olive harvest is central to Palestinian life and culture. The Palestinian people’s relationship to olive trees, which can live for hundreds of years, is also about their relationship to their ancestors and their future,’ the experts said. ‘Restricting olive harvests, destroying orchards and banning access to water sources is an attempt by Israel to expand its illegal settlements.’
Palestinian farmers, who rely heavily on the olive harvest for their livelihood, face enormous challenges, threats and harassment in accessing their olive trees, said the experts. In 2023, more than 96,000 dunums of olive-cultivated land across the occupied West Bank remained unharvested due to Israeli-imposed restrictions, resulting in the loss of 1,200 metric tons of olive oil, amounting to US$10 million, they added.
‘This situation is expected to worsen as Israeli authorities have increasingly revoked or failed to issue “prior coordination” permits, which are nece
ssary for farmers to access their lands in certain areas,’ the experts warned. ‘During the 2023 season, nearly all of these approvals were canceled, and agricultural gates along the West Bank Barrier were largely closed, further obstructing access.’
They urged Israeli forces to refrain from interfering with this year’s olive harvest and concentrate their efforts on withdrawing the occupation and dismantling the colonies, as stated by the International Court of Justice on 19 July 2024 and reaffirmed by the General Assembly on 18 September 2024.
‘Israel is under international legal obligation to first and foremost end their occupation of Palestinian land, which amounts to annexation including through racial segregation and apartheid, immediately cease all new settlement activities and evacuate all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory. It is also under the obligation to provide full reparation for the damage caused by its human rights violations to all persons concerned, including by returning land
, and allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes,’ they said.
Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA