Israeli settlers attack Palestinian olive farmers, steal crops

Khaled Ibdeh, the head of Yasouf – a village located east of Salfit - said settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers and stole their produce.

He told Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA that settlers from the illegal settlement of Tapouch attacked eight Palestinian families who were picking olives on their land, and tried to stop them from continuing their work.

Read also: Masked Israeli settlers beat 80-year-old Rabbi assisting Palestinian farmers with olive harvest

Tapouch is a settlement built illegally inside Yasouf.

Israeli settlers commonly vandalise Palestinian olive trees in a deliberate attempt to stifle their revenue, commonly by setting fire to trees or poisoning the land.

Many Palestinians living in rural areas have few alternatives to olive farming.

Illegal occupation

Israel has occupied the West Bank illegally since 1967, committing various crimes against Palestinian civilians.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three: Area A, Area B and Area C.

Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA); Area B's administration is controlled by the PA, with Israel controlling security; Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.

Along with stealing land, occupying Israeli forces and settlers are known to harass civilians, demolish Palestinian homes, poison livestock, vandalise property and other forms of violence.

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