Stolen Groves and Shattered Traditions: Israeli Settlers Target Palestinian Olive Harvest

A Palestinian woman picks olives during the harvest season in the Palestinian-owned olive groves in the village of Rantes near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, October 6, 2026. A video shared within Israeli settler groups recently captured two men forcefully bashing an olive tree with long wooden sticks, smiling and congratulating each other as they knocked the fruit to the ground while calling the yield “Pure Olive Oil.”

However, Palestinian activist Bashar Qaryouti pointed out that the individuals do not own the land, trees, or olives. They are Israeli settlers who established an illegal settlement outpost on private property in the village of Qaryut, located in the northern occupied West Bank, trespassing into an olive grove situated approximately 200 metres from Palestinian homes.

Local Palestinians easily identify one of the men in the video as Avichai Suissa, an Israeli settler sanctioned by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and previously by the United States, who operates a farm on the outpost. Established over a year and a half ago, the outpost utilizes such videos to raise donations, with Suissa's campaign page stating the objective is to rebuild and expand the farm—previously dismantled by the Israeli army—to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

“We’re gradually starting to work our way into the area,” Suissa remarked in the video. Yet, the land belongs to Palestinian residents of Qaryut, who have been denied access since the war on Gaza began in October 2023. According to Qaryouti, farmers attempting to plough their land months ago were halted by the army, and subsequent complaints led the military to declare the area a closed military zone, pushing settlers to target other lands and olives.

Suissa and others are part of a broader movement of settlers intensifying their campaign against the olive harvest. This effort has transformed the October harvest season into a period marked by fear and danger for Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, with many describing the current season as the worst yet.

Violence escalated on Wednesday when armed Israeli settlers on tractors raided lands between the villages of Ramin and Burqa in the northern occupied West Bank, opening fire on farmers heading toward their trees. Ali Bazzari, a 44-year-old farmer, was killed simply for trying to pick his olives, according to his family. Witnesses reported that the Israeli army prevented ambulances from reaching the wounded, forcing Palestinians to carry the injured through the mountains to hospitals.

Data from the Israeli rights group Yesh Din reveals that 109 harvest-related violence incidents were documented across 75 Palestinian communities between September 27 and October 6, averaging 11 incidents per day.

Alongside violence, Israeli settlers are increasingly attempting to adopt the rituals of the olive harvest season while displacing the Palestinians who have maintained these traditions for generations. New farms established in the occupied West Bank share videos of olive pressing and invite Israelis to join the experience. Palestinians argue these displays disregard the actual landowners and appropriate cultural rituals.

These rituals, including collective picking, singing, and shared meals known as “ouneh,” stem from a deep connection to the land. The harvest is both exhausting and rewarding, featuring family get-togethers, volunteering neighbors, friendly debates over oil quality, and the intergenerational transfer of agricultural knowledge.

However, these trees are being systematically dismantled by both settlers and soldiers. Hazem Sanaf, a 61-year-old resident of Beit Rima, watched as Israeli bulldozers ploughed through his lands in late September following a military order, destroying and uprooting over 400 trees—some decades old—which served as his sole source of income.

The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC) reports that Israeli settlers and soldiers have destroyed approximately 50,000 trees this year alone. While the Israeli military has historically cited security threats or troop safety to justify clearing trees, Palestinians view the actions as part of a continuous pattern of dispossession and impoverishment.