Settlers Accused of Attacking Olive Harvest in Taybeh, West Bank

Israeli settlers have been accused of attacking the olive harvest of Christian villagers in the occupied West Bank, according to reports. The incidents reportedly occurred in several villages, including the Christian town of Taybeh. Reports say the harvest is taking place under new Israeli rules that prohibit Palestinians from working in Area C, a region under Israeli security control that holds most of the territory’s agricultural land.

Father Bashar Fawadleh, the Catholic parish priest of Taybeh, said olives have been stolen and trees damaged in some areas of the town. The reports describe the harvest season as a critical period for Palestinian farmers.

On Saturday, 17 October, Israeli settlers attacked a delegation of European diplomats and Catholic representatives near Taybeh during the annual olive harvest, according to one report. That delegation reportedly included Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats, and representatives of the Catholic Church. Another report said the delegation included European diplomats and public figures, and that Palestinian olive harvesters were also attacked in Taybeh, near Ramallah, that day. The accounts differ on some details. One report says the attack took place in the early hours of the morning and that the assailants wore masks to conceal their identities. The same report says the European diplomats were visiting the region and were reportedly caught off guard.

One report states that a French mayor was assaulted while attempting to enter a vehicle bearing diplomatic plates. The sources provided do not describe the assailants’ affiliations beyond the reports’ description of them as Israeli settlers, and no outcome of any investigation is reported.

Reports also state that at least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest season began. Those figures appear in one report and are not independently confirmed in the material provided.