Overview
- A filmed attack in Turmus Ayya showed a masked assailant clubbing a 55-year-old olive picker, with Israeli police leadership instructing commanders to locate the suspect as the army later dispersed crowds with tear gas.
- The UN human rights office reports a 13% rise in settler incidents in the first half of 2025, while the Palestinian Farmers' Union says current harvest-season attacks average about 13 per day, roughly quadruple pre‑2023 levels.
- Palestinian authorities and UN officials document vandalism to groves, including burning and chain‑sawing trees, with the CWRC counting more than 15,000 trees attacked since October 2024 and at least 158 incidents since the harvest began this month.
- Economic fallout is mounting, with the Palestinian agriculture ministry recording a 17% year‑to‑date increase in farmers’ financial losses and communities reporting access bans, tree uprooting near new outposts, and harvest disruptions across at least 27 villages in one week.
- UN officials allege settler attacks often proceed with security‑force acquiescence, a claim the Israeli military disputes while saying it deploys forces to enable a safe harvest and coordinates with police to enforce the law.