Report: Occupation and Settler Attacks Halve Palestinian Olive Oil Production

Palestinian olive oil production this season has dropped by about 50%, reaching between 10,000 and 11,000 tons, compared to initial estimates of around 21,000 tons, amid escalating attacks by the occupation army and settlers and restrictions on farmers' access to their land. The weekly settlement report issued by the National Office for Land Defense and Resistance to Settlement documented over 500 attacks carried out by settlers and occupation soldiers since the start of the harvest season until the end of October, in about 200 Palestinian communities, mostly concentrated in the governorates of Jenin, Nablus, Salfit, and Ramallah. More than 150 cases of crop theft were also recorded, and farmers were completely prevented from harvesting in dozens of locations. The report indicated that Nablus governorate recorded the highest number of direct attacks, which included vandalizing olive trees, stealing crops, and assaulting farmers, while the cumulative direct losses to the olive sector due to tree destruction and denial of access to land since 2023 exceeded $157 million. The report also documents attacks in Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Salfit, Jenin, and the northern Jordan Valley, and refers to a fatwa by Israeli rabbi Dov Lior that permitted settlers to pick olives from Palestinian lands.