Geneva, October 19, 2026.- Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank face renewed threats to their livelihoods, cultural rights, food security and food sovereignty as the annual olive harvest gets underway, UN experts* said today, urging Israel to guarantee their protection and safe access to their land.
“Palestinian farmers must be protected and able to access their land safely. Yet, year after year, the violence, destruction and restrictions intensify,” the experts said.
«The olive harvest should be a time when farmers can enjoy, in safety and dignity, the food and livelihoods their nature and land provide, not another season of fear, loss, violence and destruction.”
During the 2025 olive harvest, 178 settler attacks linked to the harvest were documented across the occupied West Bank, affecting 88 Palestinian towns and villages, the highest number of locations recorded since 2020. More than 6,000 trees and saplings were vandalised, nearly double the number in 2024 and the highest in six years.
The experts were alarmed by orders issued by Israeli military authorities in September 2026 for the removal of vegetation from approximately 339,000 square metres (84 acres) of Palestinian agricultural land in the northern and central occupied West Bank, including areas planted with olive trees in Jenin, Qabatiya and Beit Rima.
The orders include provisions for the uprooting of olive trees and impose extremely short periods for landowners to remove vegetation and file objections.
«The olive harvest is an essential source of food, income and livelihood for thousands of Palestinian families, and is deeply rooted in Palestinian cultural and agricultural heritage,» the experts said. «Olive trees take years to mature and can sustain families for generations. Their destruction deprives families of far more than a single harvest: it undermines local food systems, cultural practices and ways of life, as well as the right to food and the food sovereignty of Palestinian communities.»
The experts repeated concerns about continued violence, intimidation and access restrictions imposed by Israeli forces on farmers, and about reports of olive groves being uprooted in several areas, including by Israeli military bulldozers near Ramallah shortly before the harvest.
They warned that the situation could worsen as Israeli authorities increasingly revoke or fail to issue the ‘prior coordination’ permits required for farmers to access their land in certain areas. This year, the Israeli military modified its policy, preventing Palestinians from obtaining permits or harvesting olives on land classified by Israel as ‘State land’, including plots containing olive trees that Palestinian farmers have traditionally harvested for generations.
Food security in the occupied West Bank has long been under severe strain, driven by intensifying settler attacks that have displaced mainly Bedouin and herding communities, and by Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian clearance revenues, which has sharply eroded household incomes.
The experts urged Israel to ensure that its forces protect Palestinian farmers from settler attacks, refrain from interference with their access to land and to comply with its obligations under international law.
“Israel is under an international legal obligation to end its occupation of Palestinian land, immediately cease new settlement activities, evacuate settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory and provide full reparation for the damage caused by its violations, including by returning land and allowing displaced Palestinians to return to their homes,” the experts said.
“The international community, especially States with power and influence, must exercise maximum pressure to protect Palestinian civilians, halt and reverse the rapidly expanding policies and practices of annexation and ensure accountability for decades of violations of Palestinian rights under international law,” they said.