Wielding saws, shears and shovels, Israeli settlers ramp up attacks on Palestinians during olive harvest

Soaring violence has raised concerns among activists of a concerted campaign against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, reports Bel Trew

A Palestinian farmer collects olives on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Al Sawiya

(EPA-EFE)

During this year’s olive harvest, the Israeli settlers came four times for the Palestinian farmer’s trees: first with chemical plant killer, then armed with shears and saws, and finally, wielding shovels.

They destroyed more than 100 trees located on land in the occupied West Bank that Sulaiman al-Jaafreh’s family has farmed for over a century. Some of the trees were completely uprooted and so the family hurriedly planted more, fearing that the settlers would seize the land and claim it was unoccupied.

“These attacks are unprecedented this year in terms of the frequency and the level of violence,” Sulaiman tells The Independent in desperation.