SALFIT, November 12, 2024 (WAFA) – Israeli colonists Tuesday evening stole the olive harvest from lands in the village of Yasuf, east of Salfit, according to a local official.

Head of Yasuf village council, Wael Abu Madi, told WAFA that colonists stole four sacks of olives and picking tools owned by a local resident, and also assaulted him and his family.

The annual olive harvest in the West Bank is a key element of the Palestinian economy and a crucial source of income for tens of thousands of families.

“For years, settler violence against Palestinians has peaked during the harvest season, yet Israeli authorities consistently refrain from taking preventive action as a matter of policy. This year, with the war in Gaza underway, the military has enlisted many settlers for regional operations in the West Bank. The settlers have used this power to block roads leading to Palestinian land and to set up roadblocks on agricultural roads, denying Palestinians access to olive groves near settlements,” said the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in Occupied Territories, B’Tselem.

“Settler attacks on harvesters have increased in both intensity and frequency since the war began,” said the center.

T.R.