No olive harvest, no violence
After the attack on a Washington Post journalist and European diplomats, the military and police announced action against settler violence. However, in practice, authorities prevent farmers and activists from reaching the olive harvest, through arrests and closure of areas, instead of acting against the attackers.
After the attack on Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine and European diplomats, the military and police announced they would act against settler violence. However, less than a week later, it emerges that the authorities are taking steps against Palestinian farmers and the activists accompanying them, rather than against the attackers. In the village of Deir Jarir, a closed military zone order was issued preventing farmers and activists from reaching the olive harvest. In the village of Taybeh, journalist Andrei Ix, one of the prominent documenters in the West Bank, was arrested and released without a restraining order – reinforcing the suspicion that this is a political arrest. In the village of Nahalin, about 80 activists were arrested, most of them internationals, including a Democratic congressional candidate and rabbis. The military seized homes in and around the village of Abu Falah and moved in armored personnel carriers. The article argues that this conduct reflects a right-wing theory that views reaching the olive harvest as a 'provocation', and that the government uses cross-threshold settler violence to escalate attacks against Palestinians.