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The perilous escalation of settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, which intensified during the olive harvest season, is occurring without any deterrence or accountability, and often under the direct protection of the Israeli army, Euro‑Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor) said in a statement Sunday.The statement further indicated that this forms part of a deliberate and systematic policy that uses settler violence to reinforce Israeli control, alongside rapid settlement expansion and land expropriation to impose de facto annexation and displace Palestinian residents.The systematic escalation forms part of a broader effort to consolidate Israeli control over the West Bank by depopulating it and expanding the territorial and operational influence of settlements, the statement continued.It added that this includes turning settlers into practical extensions of the army in attacks and land seizure operations, while imposing new patterns of field control that entrench separation and isolation between Palestinian communities, undermining any possibility of establishing a contiguous or independent Palestinian entity.Euro-Med Monitor's field team has documented a marked increase in settler attacks against Palestinians in recent weeks, particularly farmers. These attacks have included physical assault, theft of olive harvests, burning of trees, destruction of property, and preventing access to agricultural land, the statement read.The statement further stressed that dozens of incidents took place under the direct protection of Israeli forces, with soldiers participating in some of them, clearly indicating an integrated system aimed at persecuting and displacing Palestinians.In addition, Euro-Med Monitor documented 324 settler attacks over 39 days, from the beginning of October until the evening of November 8, averaging eight attacks per day. Settler violence during the current olive harvest season is the highest in years, with approximately 163 incidents resulting in injuries to more than 143 Palestinians and the destruction of over 4,200 trees and saplings across 77 West Bank villages, the statement added.It further noted that the attacks carried out by organised, militia-like armed settlers who launch from settlements and illegal outposts throughout the West Bank have become a systematic practice of armed violence against Palestinian civilians.

Head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ajith Sunghay said that the escalating attacks on the olive harvest season represent one of many Israeli aggressions designed to sever connections, to annex the land, to dispossess Palestinians, and facilitate the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.During a press conference Sunghay held in Ramallah, he stressed that the past three years were unimaginably difficult, as Israeli settler violence and access restrictions prevented many farmers from harvesting their land. He added: "Settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency, with the acquiescence, support, and in many cases participation, of Israeli security forces — and always with impunity."He emphasized that the new Israeli checkpoints and iron gates separated Palestinian farmers from their lands, with disastrous consequences. In 2023, 96,000 dunums of olive land were left unharvested, resulting in losses exceeding $10 million for Palestinian farmers. The same pattern continued in the 2024 season.The Head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory noted that between 80,000 and 100,000 Palestinian families depend on the olive harvest as their primary source of livelihood. "It is not an understatement to say that the harvest season is the economic backbone of rural Palestinian communities," he added.Although tensions, violence, and restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities are not new in the context of the olive harvest, he pointed to statements by Israeli government officials about the intention to annex the entire West Bank and forcibly displace Palestinians. He said: "We must remember, no matter how long the occupation has lasted, that this is not to be normalized. Israel has a legal obligation to end the occupation and reverse the annexation of the West Bank. Israel's denial of Palestinians' right to life, livelihood, safety, security, dignity, and self-determination is unlawful and unacceptable."Sunghay said: "The implications are reverberating in the West Bank. If action is not taken to ensure accountability and a viable path to a just peace, the repercussions will be felt around the world. And the international community, especially member states with power and influence, must exercise maximum pressure to protect civilians, halt and reverse the rapidly expanding policies of annexation, and ensure accountability for decades of violations of Palestinians' rights under international law."He emphasized that the beginning is to exert efforts to ensure Palestinians' full access to their lands, calling for a coordinated international effort to protect the olive season and ensure the safety of Palestinian farmers and workers.The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks by settlers on Palestinian citizens and foreign activists during the olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank, stressing that the attempts of the occupation authorities must not go unpunished, as they not only constitute a flagrant violation of international law, but also a threat to the values of justice on which the foundations of the international system are based, as well as other norms and fundamental rights.