Heba Maraief, Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Office, condemned a recent surge in state-supported settler violence in the occupied West Bank, describing the olive harvest season as having been transformed into a period of terror for Palestinian families. The attacks, which occurred over the weekend, targeted farmers in the villages of Khirbet Abu Falah and Al-Taybeh near Ramallah, resulting in significant economic losses and severe suffering for the local population.
The violence included assaults on Palestinian farmers, destruction and theft of crops, and the imposition of military restrictions preventing access to orchards. Notably, the attacks also targeted a delegation of European diplomats and Heidi Levine, a photographer for The Washington Post. Levine was reportedly thrown to the ground, kicked repeatedly despite wearing identifiable press gear, and had her camera equipment and phone stolen before being hospitalized with multiple injuries. Israeli police later arrested ten suspects in connection with these incidents.
Maraief emphasized that these acts are not isolated crimes but part of a central policy by the Israeli government aimed at ethnic cleansing and permanent demographic changes in the region. She criticized senior Israeli officials and electoral candidates for mischaracterizing state-sponsored brutality as the actions of a few individuals, calling such narratives a blatant distortion of reality. According to Amnesty International, Israeli authorities have escalated campaigns since late 2022 to intimidate and forcibly displace Bedouin and pastoral communities, while simultaneously accelerating settlement expansion and providing logistical, legal, and political support to settlers.
The organization highlighted that since October 2023, Palestinian communities across the West Bank have faced a sharp increase in settler attacks designed to force displacement. These include physical assaults, threats, harassment, property destruction, arson, livestock theft, and restricted access to agricultural lands. Amnesty International asserts that the international community’s continued failure to take effective measures has fueled this violence.
In response, Amnesty International called on states that claim opposition to Israel’s annexation of Palestinian territory and its ongoing settlement expansion to take firm action. The organization urged countries to stop all forms of trade, investment, and cooperation that sustain the illegal occupation and apartheid system. Specific demands include imposing targeted sanctions on Israeli officials implicated in serious violations of international law, enforcing comprehensive arms embargoes, halting trade with settlements, and supporting international accountability mechanisms, including investigations by the International Criminal Court. Maraief warned that hiding behind empty statements not only demonstrates cowardice but also facilitates further violations, noting that this inaction remains deadly for Palestinians.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
