Settlers attack farmers, prevent olive harvesting in Salfit

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in the Wadi al-Ahmar area between the villages of Yasuf and Marda, northeast of Salfit, on Wednesday, according to local farmers.

Farmers said a group of settlers confronted them while they were harvesting olives on their land and forced them to leave the area under threat.

According to the farmers, the settlers sprayed pepper spray at a man and his children, causing injuries to their faces. Palestinian Red Crescent teams from Marda provided them with first aid and treatment.

The farmers also reported that the settlers confiscated olives they had already harvested and prevented them from continuing their work, resulting in financial losses.

READ: Israeli opposition accuses Netanyahu government of encouraging occupier violence in West Bank

The attack occurred at the start of the olive harvest season, on which thousands of Palestinian farmers depend as an important source of income.

Following the attack, Israeli forces entered the area and detained several farmers for several hours, according to local sources. They also confiscated two agricultural vehicles on the grounds that they were unlicensed.

The incident comes amid increased reports of settlers’ attacks on farmers in the Salfit Governorate around the olive harvest season, including restrictions on access to agricultural land, physical assaults and the theft of harvested crops.

READ: Violence, Israeli settlement make life ‘intolerable’ for Palestinians in West Bank: Red Cross