Israeli Forces Arrest Farmers and Foreign Solidarity Activists During Olive Harvest West of Ramallah

Israeli occupation forces arrested farmers, activists and foreign solidarity activists after preventing them from picking olives on lands in the town of Kafr Ni'ma, west of Ramallah, amid the restrictions Palestinian farmers face during the olive picking season.

The incident comes amid an escalation in attacks by occupation forces and settlers on farmers and their land across the West Bank, including physical assaults, the theft of crops and agricultural equipment, the burning and vandalism of trees, and the prevention of landowners from reaching their fields, alongside the pursuit and arrest of farmers and solidarity activists who try to help them reach their land and harvest their crops.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded 397 settler attacks that resulted in injuries or property damage between 1 and 26 October 2026, the highest monthly figure since documentation of such attacks began in 2006. The office also documented 272 attacks linked to the olive harvest between 1 September and 19 October, exceeding the toll of the 2024 and 2025 seasons combined.

These attacks are accompanied by restrictions imposed by the occupation authorities on farmers' access to their land, the cancellation of prior coordination arrangements or the prevention of entry to some agricultural areas, as well as the arrest of farmers and foreign solidarity activists during olive picking activities, threatening the season and the livelihood of thousands of Palestinian families.