Israeli forces attack farmers harvesting olives near Salfit

SALFIT: Israeli occupation forces attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in the Hares village, west of the occupied West Bank city of Salfit, according to local sources. Ahmad Daoud's family said that the occupation forces physically assaulted the family members while the latter were picking their olive trees in their land near the western entrance of the town, inflicting bruises across the bodies of two of them. With more than 12 million olive trees planted across 45% of the West Bank's agricultural land, the olive harvest constitutes one of the biggest sources of economic sustainability for thousands of Palestinian families. According to UN OCHA, the olive oil industry supports the livelihoods of more than 100,000 families and accounts for a quarter of the gross agricultural income of the occupied territories. But, as local NGO MIFTAH notes, 'olive trees carry more than an economic significance in the lives of Palestinians. They are not just like any other trees, they are symbolic of Palestinian s' attachment to their land. Because the trees are drought-resistant and grow under poor soil conditions, they represent Palestinian resistance and resilience. The fact that olive trees live and bear fruit for thousands of years is parallel to Palestinian history and continuity on the land.' Source: Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA