IQNA – In occupied Palestine, even olive trees are not spared from illegal Israeli settlers’ violence.
For many Palesinian farmers, the harvest season—which ought to be a time of family joy and the culmination of a year’s labor—has instead become synonymous with fear, violence, and the loss of trees.
This is according to an article by Ali Maroufi Arani, a researcher specializing in Zionism and Judaism, which is as follows:
In Palestine, the olive harvest season—rather than heralding a time of blessing for farmers—is often marked by tears and bloodshed. Here, even olive trees are not spared from violence.
An olive tree takes years to take root, grow tall, and bear fruit. Yet, in Palestine, a farmer who has dedicated his entire life to these trees may one day find himself unable to harvest their yield—or even reach his own orchard. For many farmers, the harvest season—which ought to be a time of family joy and the culmination of a year’s labor—has instead become synonymous with fear, violence, and the loss of trees that embody the lives and memories of generations of their families.
This week, coinciding with the start of the olive harvest, the West Bank has witnessed a sharp escalation in conflict; the number of incidents has doubled compared to the first week of the harvest season last year.
These incidents are strategic, not merely tactical, in nature. The Zionist military not only fails to intervene but actively facilitates these actions by the settlers.
In Palestine, the olive harvest is meant to be a season of bounty. Yet, for many farmers, these days serve as a bitter reminder: that one must sometimes live in fear even when simply trying to pick the fruit from one’s own trees. Nevertheless, as long as a sapling takes root in the soil and a hand reaches out to tend it, the story of Palestine’s olives continues. The olive harvest, which begins in early October, serves as a vital source of income for thousands of Palestinian families; however, attacks by settlers and Israeli forces have hindered farmers' access to their land and their ability to harvest their crops.
According to data from the Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, more than 45,000 trees in the occupied West Bank were cut down or damaged during the first half of 2026—over 24,000 of which were olive trees.
Targeting olive trees in Palestine has become a systematic strategy employed by the Zionist regime throughout its 77-year occupation of the land. These ongoing attacks by the occupiers on olive harvests—a long-standing livelihood for Palestinian families—have had a profound impact on Palestinian agriculture, the economy, and national identity. Deliberate assaults by the occupying army on Palestinian trees—particularly olive trees, which serve as a symbol of Palestine—intensify every year during the harvest season.
Olives constitute the largest agricultural crop for Palestinians, accounting for 45 percent of their total cultivated land. During the harvest season, Palestinians are often denied the right to harvest olives from their own property; in Area C of the West Bank—which comprises 60 percent of Palestinian cultivated land—the Zionist regime imposes severe restrictions and obstacles.
The steadfastness of a Palestinian on their land is linked to the endurance of the olive trees growing there. The occupiers and settlers believe that the displacement of Palestinians from their land begins with the uprooting of their olive trees. For this reason, just as in previous years, the Zionist occupying forces suppressed olive-harvesting activities in the village of Al-Nazla al-Sharqiya (north of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank), Turmus Ayya (north of Ramallah), and the village of Mikhmas (north of occupied al-Quds).
Trees that do not fade from memory, even when cut down
In Palestinian culture, the olive holds a significance that transcends mere economic value. The harvest season is an occasion for families to gather and uphold an age-old tradition—a tradition deeply intertwined with the land, the home, and life itself. Consequently, damage to the groves represents more than just the loss of a single year’s yield; at times, it signifies the destruction of a portion of a family’s heritage.
When a farmer is denied access to his land, or when the trees he has nurtured for years are damaged, the issue extends far beyond the olive crop. The real question concerns the fate of a life that has been forged in connection to that very land.
While the olive tree is not unique to Palestine—growing throughout the Mediterranean region—its long history of cultivation in Palestine and its profound link to the lives of the people have transformed it into a symbol of identity and belonging. It is a tree whose name is inextricably bound to the concepts of home, memory, and steadfast endurance.
Dov Lior— an Israeli Orthodox rabbi known as the spiritual authority for Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Zionist regime’s minister of national security, and the far-right party "Otzma Yehudit"—asserted in a religious ruling that Palestinian lands “belong to the Jewish people”, claiming that Arabs never purchased these territories from Jews throughout history. He went even further, describing lands held by Palestinians as “usurped lands”. He claimed that harvesting their olives—even in areas far removed from Zionist settlements—does not constitute theft; rather, it is the fulfillment of a Torah commandment intended to establish Jewish ownership over these territories.
A notable aspect of this situation is that officials within the Israeli internal security service (Shin Bet)—despite their claims of comprehensive security oversight and intelligence capabilities—assert that security agencies lack the necessary tools to address these incidents.
This religious ruling was issued in response to a position taken by seven rabbis from settlements in the Gush Etzion region, south of Bethlehem. These rabbis had declared the harvesting of olives from Palestinian-owned land to be theft and religiously prohibited. They had proposed that volunteers harvest the olives and, after deducting a nominal fee, return the produce to the Palestinian landowners—a proposal that stands in direct opposition to the ruling issued by Dov Lior, which deems the harvesting of Palestinian crops permissible.
This Zionist rabbi declared Zionist settlers to be the rightful owners of the land, while labeling the original inhabitants of Palestine as “usurpers”. He claimed, “The Arabs never purchased this land from an Israeli or any Jew; therefore, it has been usurped by them.”
How is the olive sector in Palestine subjected to restrictions?
The first aspect of these restrictions stems from the occupation and its regulations, which prohibit the entry and circulation of many types of fertilizers in the market, involve the closure of roads and crossings, and include the establishment of over 900 checkpoints across the West Bank. A second aspect involves attacks by the military and settlers on olive trees, assaults on farmers in their fields, the theft of harvested produce, and the seizure of livestock and agricultural equipment. The Apartheid Wall—constructed by the Zionist regime following the Second Intifada—constitutes a third layer of restriction; stretching 670 kilometers, it severely limits access. Landowners can only reach their property by obtaining a special permit, valid for a mere two days—allotted exclusively for plowing or harvesting. Since the onset of the aggression against Gaza in October 2023, no one has been able to access their land, leaving the fruit to remain unharvested on the trees.
Historical records indicate that Palestine is the indigenous home of the olive tree. In Palestine, the olive tree is more than just a plant; it is an integral part of the national identity, a symbol of the land itself, and an emblem of survival. Many of these trees are hundreds, or even thousands, of years old—standing as living witnesses to successive civilizations and enduring resistance. Each olive tree embodies history, steadfastness, and legitimate rights; it is precisely for this reason that the occupiers target them with such brutality.
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