West Bank olive harvest marked by settler attacks

The harvest supports about 100,000 families across the Palestinian territories. Beyond the income it provides, the olive crop is tied to Palestinian social and national identity, the article says. For families who have increasingly stayed indoors amid expanding conflict, going out to gather olives means returning to land that sustains their livelihoods—and facing the risk of intimidation and violence.

UN data cited in the article recorded 178 settler attacks in the occupied West Bank during the 2025 olive harvest, across 88 Palestinian towns and villages. More than 6,000 trees and saplings were vandalised. The article describes the attacks as part of efforts to intimidate Palestinian families and drive them from their homes, and says the pattern has intensified since 2023.