As happens each year during the Palestinian olive harvest, Israel’s illegal settlers are destroying olive trees and attacking Palestinian farmers. The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that in the year to August this year, over 9,300 olive trees were destroyed by Israeli settlers; the damage peaked during harvest time. Palestinian access to agricultural land is seriously hampered by Israel’s restrictions on movement as well as settlement expansion. Settler violence exacerbates an already untenable situation; without access to their land, Palestinian autonomy is reduced. Moreover, settler violence ensures that Palestinians can’t look much beyond the immediate consequence of Israel’s colonial-occupation: the struggle to survive. In response to the predictable settler violence, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has … Continue reading Settler violence and Israel’s impenetrable web of impunity