UN Experts Warn of Escalating Threats Against Palestinian Farmers as Olive Harvest Season Begins

Geneva, October 19 (KUNA) -- UN experts on Monday warned of escalating threats against Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank as the olive harvest season begins, expressing concern over orders issued last September by Israeli occupation authorities to remove approximately 339,000 square meters of agricultural land in the central and northern parts of the occupied West Bank. This was stated in a statement issued from Geneva by a group of UN special rapporteurs and experts, who confirmed the documentation of 178 attacks carried out by settlers during the 2025 olive harvest season across the occupied West Bank, affecting 88 Palestinian towns and villages—the highest number recorded since 2020. The experts reported that more than 6,000 olive trees were vandalized, nearly double the number recorded in 2024, marking the highest level in six years. They further warned that uprooting trees not only results in the loss of a seasonal crop but also undermines the income sources, food systems, and agricultural and cultural heritage of Palestinian families, emphasizing that the olive season represents a primary source of food and income for thousands of Palestinian families at a time when food security in the occupied West Bank is under increasing pressure due to escalating settler attacks and the continued occupation’s withholding of Palestinian tax revenues. The experts stressed the need to protect farmers from settler attacks and ensure their freedom of access to their lands, calling on the occupation to end its occupation of Palestinian territories, halt new settlement activities, evacuate settlers from occupied Palestinian land, and compensate victims for damages caused by violations. They also called on the international community to exert necessary pressure to protect Palestinian civilians, halt and reverse policies and practices of annexation, and ensure accountability for ongoing violations of Palestinian rights under international law. The statement was issued by seven UN experts, including Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese and Special Rapporteur on the right to food Sofia Monsalve Suarez. (End) A.M.Kh./A.B.G