Jewish extremists have attacked Palestinian olive pickers in the West Bank, with incidents occurring mainly in Turmus Aiya and al-Mughair. A brutal assault was captured on video, showing a woman, Afaf Abu Ouliya, being struck in the head with a club, resulting in serious injuries. Multiple vehicles were also set ablaze during these attacks.
Eyewitness accounts describe masked settlers assaulting Palestinians, including Ayman Abu Oria, who was attacked while picking olives. He suffered injuries and damage to his car, which was later torched. Afaf remains in intensive care.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to reports of violence, stating they sent units to restore order. However, prosecutions for such incidents are rare. Additional incidents of aggression against olive pickers were reported in the Christian town of Taybeh, where attackers disrupted the harvest and stole equipment.
Local leaders have condemned these acts, highlighting a broader issue of repeated settler violence during the olive harvest season, which threatens the livelihood of Palestinian farmers. Advocacy groups emphasize a lack of enforcement against these aggressions, calling for accountability from the Israeli government. In previous harvest years, there have been numerous reports of violence and property theft linked to settlers, with the 2024 season seeing over a hundred related incidents.
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