Over 9,000 olive trees have been destroyed in the West Bank since August 2020, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). With the olive harvest season underway, the aid agency has called on Israel to ensure safe, timely, and adequate access for Palestinians to their olive groves in the occupied West Bank.
“For years, the ICRC has observed a seasonal peak in violence by Israeli settlers residing in certain settlements and outposts in the West Bank towards Palestinian farmers and their property in the period leading up to the olive harvest season, as well as during the harvest season itself, in October and November,” said Els Debuf, head of the ICRC’s mission in Jerusalem.
“Farmers also experience acts of harassment and violence that aim at preventing a successful harvest, not to mention the destruction of farming equipment or the uprooting and burning of olive trees. This is an important concern that we continue to share with the authorities in charge,” she added.
— source Jews For Justice For Palestinians | 13 Oct 2021