Ramallah: Mu'ayyad Shaaban, head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, reported that the Israeli occupation army and colonists have carried out a total of 158 attacks against Palestinian olive pickers since the beginning of the current season.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Shaaban, in a press release issued by the commission on Tuesday, detailed that commission teams monitored 17 attacks by the occupation army and 141 attacks by colonists. These incidents included violent physical assaults, arrest campaigns, movement restrictions, denial of access, intimidation, and even direct gunfire, particularly in the Tubas Governorate.
The attacks were primarily concentrated in the Nablus governorate with 56 attacks, followed by 51 in the Ramallah governorate, and 15 in the Hebron governorate. Shaaban highlighted that this season recorded 57 cases of movement restrictions and intimidation of olive pickers, alongside 22 cases of beatings and assaults on farmers.
He pointed out that this year's olive-picking season is particularly challenging due to the ongoing aggression against Palestinians. The military and colonists have exploited wartime systems, supported by policies and legislation that reinforce aggression and oppression. This includes closing off governorates, transferring weapons to colonist militias, and exempting them from accountability.
The commission also recorded 74 attacks on olive-growing lands this season, including 29 incidents of cutting, breaking, and bulldozing, which destroyed a total of 795 olive trees. Shaaban underscored the occupying state's systematic efforts to disrupt the Palestinian connection to their land, a vital source of livelihood and cultural identity.
He emphasized that the actions of the occupying state are part of broader plans to control Palestinian geography and prevent citizens from accessing their lands. Despite these challenges, Palestinians continue to assert their rights to access and cultivate their lands, resisting the occupation's measures and demonstrating resilience.
Shaaban concluded by acknowledging the determination of Palestinians in thwarting the colonists' plans and upholding their relationship with the land, thereby challenging the occupation's efforts.
