Palestinian Farmers Endure 21 Attacks by Israeli Forces and Settlers in Single Day
The Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) has recorded a series of violent incidents targeting agricultural workers in the occupied territories, reporting that Israeli forces and settlers carried out 21 separate attacks against Palestinian farmers within a twelve-hour window on Friday. According to the commission, these hostilities unfolded between 6am and 6pm across six different governorates, resulting in injuries to several individuals and significant damage to agricultural assets. The reported actions included direct shootings at farmers, the deliberate burning and cutting down of olive trees, the theft of harvested crops, and the use of firearms to deny access to land or force workers to abandon their fields.
In its assessment of the events, the CWRC stated that the violence during the current olive harvest season has evolved beyond mere disruption of harvesting activities. The commission argued that the attacks now constitute a direct effort to undermine Palestinians' capacity to remain on and cultivate their ancestral lands through a systematic pattern of violence. This pattern includes military intimidation, the destruction of vegetation, the appropriation of produce, and strict restrictions on movement to agricultural sites. The commission described these measures as an integral component of Israel’s broader policy aimed at forced expulsion and the consolidation of settler-colonialism.
Furthermore, the commission highlighted the operational coordination observed between settler groups and state military units during these incidents. It noted that Israeli forces frequently intervened not only to protect the assailants but also to prevent farmers from returning to their properties. The CWRC emphasized that this synchronization demonstrates that such practices are not isolated criminal acts but rather interconnected tools designed to seize land and dismantle the foundations of Palestinian agricultural life. The organization concluded that the presence of military personnel alongside settlers facilitates the execution of these coordinated campaigns against civilian livelihoods.
Following its documentation of the day's events, the CWRC issued a call for immediate international intervention. The commission urged the global community to implement concrete measures to halt the ongoing attacks and to guarantee the physical protection of Palestinian farmers. The statement stressed that without external pressure and tangible safeguards, the systematic erosion of agricultural rights and the associated violence will continue to escalate, further entrenching the dispossession of local populations.
This report was produced in the Europe Brief News newsroom.
