Sharek Youth Forum: Preventing Farmers from Harvesting Their Olives Violates Their Rights to Their Land and Livelihood

Sharek Youth Forum condemns the attacks against farmers and residents in several villages across the West Bank, including the denial of access to agricultural land and olive harvests, assaults on people and trees, and the theft of crops.

According to the field reports for Saturday, 10 October 2026, farmers and residents faced attacks or restrictions on access to their land in Mukhmas, Burham, Abu Mishal, Al-Mughayyir, Burqa, Kafr Ni’ma, Deir Jarir, Abwein, Deir Ibzi’, and Aboud, as well as in numerous other Palestinian villages and towns across the governorates. Eight people were reported injured in Abu Mishal and three in Deir Ibzi’. Olive trees were also attacked and olives stolen in Aboud and other towns and villages in the northern West Bank.

The Youth Village in Wadi Hamd is part of this wider reality. The land that farmers work and care for is more than a source of income: it is central to Palestinian community life and people’s connection to their land. Attacks on farmers and preventing them from reaching their land during the olive harvest threaten their livelihoods and deny them the use of their property and crops.

The protection of private property is required under international humanitarian law. Article 46 of the Hague Regulations requires respect for private property, while Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the destruction of property in occupied territory, except where rendered absolutely necessary by military operations. The UN Human Rights Office has also documented how obstructing Palestinian farmers’ access to their land and attacking them during the olive harvest affects their livelihoods.

We call on the occupying authorities to take immediate measures to stop these attacks, ensure farmers can safely reach their land and harvest their crops, and protect people, property, and trees. We also call for investigations into these incidents, accountability for those responsible, and an end to impunity.

The olive harvest is a right of farmers and their families. Protecting it is a legal and humanitarian responsibility. The Youth Village, Wadi Hamd, and all Palestinian villages remain an integral part of Palestine, despite repeated attempts to attack them or deny people access to their land.

Sharek Youth Forum