UN: Israeli attacks on olive season are another tool for displacement and dispossession
Amman1 min read
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The UN Human Rights Office said on Wednesday that the Israeli attack on the olive harvest season is "another tool of displacement and dispossession" that adds to the suffering of Palestinian communities, calling on all countries and donors to act urgently to protect it.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that at least 160 attacks by Israeli settlers linked to the olive harvest season were recorded in the West Bank during the first two weeks of this month, mostly "under the protection or with the participation of Israeli forces."
The office noted that an international journalist was assaulted while covering the olive harvest season, as were European diplomatic representatives during their visit to a Palestinian village over the past few days, pointing out that settlers used "live ammunition, deliberately set fires, destroyed olive trees and groves, including ancient trees, damaged Palestinian property, and stole harvested olive crops and agricultural equipment."
The office confirmed that thousands of Palestinian farmers are unable to access their olive trees to harvest the crop due to escalating Israeli restrictions, while "settlers illegally present in the occupied territory are allowed to access Palestinian lands and harvest their crops."
