Israel deports 32 activists aiding Palestinian olive farmers amid attacks

In response to the increase in Israeli army and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, Israel has ordered the deportation of 32 foreign activists who support Palestinian farmers who grow olives.

The activists were detained last week in the Nablus Governorate’s Burin because they were protesting an Israeli general order that only allowed those who work on the land during the harvesting period.

Since the start of the current season, the Israeli army and settlers have attacked olive pickers with 158 attacks., according to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.

A number of violations were committed during the assaults, including mass shootings, arrests, and beatings. At least 74 attacks targeted olive-growing regions, with 29 instances involving the destruction of farmland and trees. 765 olive trees were completely destroyed.

Palestinian farmers are putting themselves at risk when picking olives, according to the UN and human rights organizations.

The UN Human Rights Office’s head, Ajith Sunghay, stated in a statement on Tuesday that “settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency.”

We have already experienced severe attacks by armed settlers against Palestinians, women, children, and international solidarity activists two weeks after the 2025 harvest began.

According to Sunghay, the UN estimates that 80 to 100 000 Palestinian families depend on their livelihoods from the olive harvest.

The activists would be deported over their alleged affiliation with the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), according to a statement released by Interior Minister Yariv Levin and national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday.

The activists were denied entry to the country for a 99-year period, according to the statement, without providing their nationalities or where they would be deported.

Since the start of the conflict in Gaza, settler violence against Palestinians has increased.

According to the United Nations, more than 1, 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, and thousands of Palestinians have been forced to flee as a result of Israeli-imposed movement restrictions, home demolitions, and Israeli-imposed restrictions on movement.

According to the UN, there were 757 settler attacks that left a 13 percent increase in casualties or property damage in the first half of 2025, up from the same period last year.

Israeli settlers allegedly attacked Palestinian olive harvesters and activists with clubs during a settler attack in Turmus Aya on Sunday, according to a video released from the town of Turmus Aya. One woman suffered serious injuries when she was taken to the hospital.

In Beita’s Jabal Qamas area, settlers beat and set on fire three vehicles earlier this month, injuring at least 36 people, including journalists.

The West Bank and East Jerusalem are home to more than 700,000 settlers, who reside in 150 settlements and 128 outposts, both of which are prohibited by international law. Israeli soldiers frequently accompany or protect settlers, and they are frequently armed.