Settler attacks disrupt olive harvest across West Bank
Reports from several locations describe damage to homes, trees and vehicles, while Israeli forces detained journalists and ordered harvesters and activists to leave Beita at gunpoint.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers and residents in several West Bank locations on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera. The report describes stone-throwing and damage to olive trees, homes and vehicles in Abu Dis, Awarta, Beita and Osarin.
An activist volunteering with Palestinian communities told Al Jazeera that about 50 masked settlers approached pickers, threw stones and attacked a house. The activist said soldiers then ordered Palestinians and activists to leave, making them sit on the ground at gunpoint before forcing them out.
Al Jazeera reported that Israeli forces detained and assaulted journalists in Beita’s Jabal Qamass area. Its footage showed settlers smashing a Palestinian vehicle in Osarin; other videos showed an armed attack on a home in Beita.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa said settlers fired tear gas at Palestinians and journalists in Osarin, attacked homes and stoned vehicles. Palestinian media reported that residents tried to repel the attacks. The report provides no confirmed total for people detained or injured on Saturday.
Al Jazeera said settler attacks across the West Bank have intensified since February. It cited Palestinian authorities’ figures of 1,212 Palestinians, including 254 children, killed in the West Bank since October 2023, and 30 killed by settlers since the start of 2026.
