Violence, gunfire and annexation: Palestinian olive farmers under attack

Palestine’s olive harvest season started this month, and quickly became the target of Israeli settler attacks.

A viral video this week showed a mob violently chasing Palestinian olive pickers in an occupied West Bank town north-east of Ramallah. A masked man is seen striking a woman with a club in the field, knocking her to the ground. In another town, farmers trying to harvest their groves were met by gunfire from Israeli soldiers, who are known to offer protection to settlers.

These incidents are not new but the UN has documented a 13 per cent increase in settler attacks this year compared to the same period last year. In addition to violence and vandalism, farmers are now also facing the threat of Israeli annexation.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and Abbas Milhem, executive director of the Palestinian Farmers' Union. They discuss the recent rise in assaults and the impact of Israel's land grab policies on Palestinian agriculture.