This year is the “most dangerous” olive harvest ever for Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank. This is how more than a dozen independent United Nations experts defined it in mid-October, at the start of the season. A month later, data collected by the Palestinian Farmers Union shows that the situation has been violent and complicated.
Two farmers lost their lives between October 10 and November 10, according to this association. A few days after the harvest began, Hanan Abu Salameh, a 59-year-old woman, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier and died. Last November, Ahmed Abu Ghazal, 68, was attacked by a settler and died of a brain hemorrhage. In addition, 55 farmers suffered injuries, some serious.
“The harvest was bloodier than last year,” the executive director of the Palestinian Farmers Union, Abbas Milhem, told elDiario.es. October 2023 coincided with the start of the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip – during which more than 44,000 people died. Then, rising tensions and violence also in the West Bank paralyzed virtually all activities, including the olive harvest.
Attacks on farmers
This year, “the harvest began with the cold-blooded murder of a farmer on her land while harvesting olives; and more recently, another farmer was murdered,” says Milhem by telephone from the city of Ramallah. His organization has documented more than 700 violent attacks by Jewish settlers during harvests who, on many occasions, were accompanied or protected by Israeli soldiers. For its part, the UN has documented since October 1, 2024, 225 attacks directly linked to the olive harvest in 82 Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Most of them resulted in personal injury or property damage.
“Many farmers have not had access to their land to harvest their olives due to increased criminal and brutal settler attacks; thousands of trees were burned, cut down or damaged by settlers; The olives were also stolen,” denounces the association. In total, around 1,500 trees were burned or eradicated between October 10 and November 10. Additionally, settlers stole olives from 6,500 trees and forcibly confiscated olives equivalent to more than 60,000 liters of oil, according to the union.
“We estimate that 30% of crops have not been harvested due to settler attacks on farmers. Since the genocidal war broke out in Gaza, settlers are waging a new war against farmers in the West Bank, where they are destroying food security,” denounces Milhem. Furthermore, the director emphasizes that, since October 2023, 2,000 families dedicated to agriculture have been evicted from their land and are not allowed to return.
The olive sector is the largest in the agricultural sector, with 110,000 farmers representing more than half of all Palestinian farmers, in addition to around 50,000 people who participate in the harvest. The Palestinian Farmers Union estimates that in 2024 production would be 20,000 tons of olive oil, assuming all farmers can access their land and harvest, but with the restrictions they have suffered, it It is likely that it will not reach 16,000 tonnes, deplores Milhem. He adds that we will have to wait until the end of the season, which in many cases lasts until December – “Not like in Spain,” the man explains.
Head of the Palestinian Farmers Union and a farmer himself, Milhem explains that settlers “do not commit crimes individually.” “They enjoy immunity and full government, economic and military support. No settler who committed attacks against Palestinian farmers has been tried, they are protected and protected. ” According to him, it is a policy that the Israeli government, whose ministers include a settler, has adopted and supported the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Milhem goes further and considers the settler attacks to be part of the Israeli government’s plan to annex the West Bank, for which it must first expel the Palestinians: “Settlers attack, injure, shoot and kill farmers, or terrorize their families. or by denying them access to their properties” with the aim of forcing them to abandon these lands, thus leaving the way open to Israeli citizens (more than half a million reside in the West Bank settlements).
From family celebration to “nightmare”
“The olive harvest used to be a celebration, but since last year it has become a nightmare for most families who cannot gather to collect the olives, who cannot take their children for fear of being attacked . They are shot, beaten or harassed. It’s very dangerous,” said the director.
Besides the personal danger and economic losses that farmers face, not being able to enjoy the harvest and their olive trees has a deeper and more painful meaning for Palestinian society. “The connection between Palestinians and olive trees is very deep, we have trees that are thousands of years old, dating back to the time of Jesus Christ in the Bethlehem area. In addition to being a source of income, it is a source of life for us,” explains Milhem. “Olive trees in Palestine are not just trees, they represent love, dignity, national identity, history and culture” of this ancient land.
The Oxfam organization knows the importance of the olive tree and that is why it has designed a project to support this relevant sector from an economic, social and environmental point of view. Entitled “Promoting the green gold of the Palestinian economy”, the project aims to expand access for Palestinian oil to markets, particularly in Europe, and to improve sustainable cultivation techniques. The NGO will provide direct support to more than 1,300 farmers to integrate techniques that do not favor climate change and, at the same time, improve productivity and product quality. The goal is to obtain organic olive oil that meets international standards, which brings 30% more profit to farmers, explains Feda Al Husseini, Oxfam project director in Palestine, to elDiario.es.
“The olive sector is not just any sector in Palestine. This is very important. More than 100,000 Palestinian families depend on it,” says Al Husseini, pointing out that its value is around $150 million (estimated at 15% of the West Bank’s GDP). “But it is not only an economic question, it is part of our tradition, our culture. For us, olive trees represent resilience: we inherited them from our grandparents and our children will inherit them in the future,” he adds.
The woman says from her office in Ramallah that the olive harvest “has always been difficult due to the occupation” of Israel, but “since October 7, 2023, there has been an alarming increase in violence, so many the share of the settlers than of the Israeli forces, and this has affected the farmers. He reports that attacks have increased in all areas and, especially, in lands located near illegal settlements. “It is a collective punishment, against all farmers, to prevent them from accessing their land and force their displacement,” denounces Al Husseini.
For her part, Buthaina Mizyed, head of economic justice for women and youth at Oxfam in Palestine, highlights the nutritional aspect of the olive: “Olive oil is one of the main foods consumed by Palestinian families, it is a pillar of food security. , especially for the poorest families. The oil is taken with zaatar (an aromatic herb similar to thyme mixed with other spices) at breakfast and other main meals.
Al Husseini explains that this year the quality and nutritional value of the oil could be reduced because, to avoid attacks, many farmers started harvesting earlier, when the olives were not fully ripe. This also reduces production and the possibility of exporting oil, if its quality is lower, in addition to reducing the price on the market. Palestinian oil is known throughout the Middle East for its quality and is often consumed in neighboring countries that do not have as much production or are not as fertile, such as Jordan or the Persian Gulf states. Even oil produced in Gaza before the war was exported in small quantities to Egypt.
The two women say in an interview from Ramallah that some farmers who are afraid to harvest their olives let others do it for them and receive, as a lease, a third or half of the harvest. But this year, due to the increase in violence, those who are willing to take the risk of harvesting are asking to keep a higher percentage or, there are even cases where no one wants to harvest them. “All this will affect the livelihoods of many Palestinian families,” concludes Al Husseini.
