October 23, 2008

Several days ago, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak condemned as "rabble," recent Israeli settler attacks during the olive harvest, against Palestinians farmers across the West Bank. One important factor Barak failed to mention, however, is that most of the settler attacks have been taking place within sight of Israeli soldiers, and in many cases these aggressions have occured with cooperation and coordination between the soldiers and settlers.

Of course, Barak couldn’t admit to this fact, and no one should wait for his confession.

For at least a decade, Israeli settlers have carried out an organized campaign across the West Bank, with the intent to disrupt Palestinian harvesting efforts. Hundreds of settlers have engaged in these attacks, using stones against the farmers, burning down orchards, and stealing crops, especially in areas in a close proximity to the settlements or settler roads. In some cases, settlers have even resorted to opening fire on the farmers, injuring and killing many over the years.

While Palestinian farmers and grassroots organizations prepared themselves for this olive harvesting season in cooperation with tens of international organizations and hundreds of International and Israeli activists to create some kind of protection against the settlers, attacks have increased and little action has been taken by the Israeli military to stop the settlers.

Several days ago, when Palestinian farmers and tens of Israeli and international activists went to harvest olive trees near the Ramot Yishai settlement outpost in downtown Hebron, more than twenty young settlers from the outpost came and threw rocks at them. The settlers later engaged in physical attacks, beating a Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) member, leading to injuries all over her body, and the hospitalization of 45-year-old photojournalist, Abed al-Hafiz Hashlamoun, who works for the European Press-Photo Agency (EPA). Another cameraman Naiaf Hashlamoun, who works with Reuters, was also attacked by settlers. The event continued for three hours, all within eyesight of Israeli soldiers stationed at a nearby checkpoint, until the soldiers declared it a closed military zone and forced the farmers and their supporters to leave the area. The soldiers further detained 15 of the internationals and Israelis for several hours. Jerni Benivee from CPT said "when we went to take the cameras that the settlers confiscated, one of them slapped me on the face."

Last Sunday in the Palestinian village of Azmoot in the Nablus district, tens of armed settlers from the Alon Moreh settlement attacked farmers and forced them to leave their fields at gun point. Eyewitnesses report that the attacks took place in direct sight of Israeli soldiers, who arrived at the scene but refrained from stopping the settlers. As a result of the attacks, one farmer was injured and hospitalized.

A week ago, tens of settlers from Itzhar attacked farmers from the Palestinian village of Boreen during harvesting in their fields near the settlement. The settlers also burned down 15 trees and threw rocks at the farmers. Twenty-four-year-old Musatfa Hgaleband and his 27-year-old brother, Mohammed Hgaleb Najjar, were taken to the hospital after sustaining injuries to their head from rocks thrown. Forty-three-year-old Hamed Ahhal Afana, from Azmout, reports "I stopped my car near the field and went harvesting. Ten settlers came from the Alon Moreh settlement and broke car windows and completely damaged the wheels. All of this happened very close to the Israeli checkpoint, and the soldiers didn’t do anything to stop the aggression."

Residents of the West Bank Palestinian city of Salfeet issued an urgent statement a few days ago, calling on human rights and international organizations to help them to harvest their crops and stop settler attacks against them. Local sources in the city stated that there is a large danger for Palestinian farmers to go and work their land in this situation of ongoing settler attacks. Tens of cases have been brought before the Israeli authorities, directly or through the Palestinian Authority, yet there has been no positive response.

These are but a few examples of what has been happening during the harvest days in the West Bank. And the story is just beginning, as the harvest continues until the end of November. If the present situation continues, it means that the farmers will not be able to gather their crops. This will have a detrimental effect on the already struggling Palestinian economy, as the olive crop alone consists of approximately 28 percent of the national income, and tens of thousands of families, especially in the northern West Bank, depend on this money.

According to human rights reports, settler attacks against Palestinian farmers occur throughout the year; settlers burn, cut and uproot trees, and attack farmers in their fields. However, during the olive harvest period, these attacks enter into a systematic and organized phase that critically affects the farmers due to the short window of the harvest period of three weeks, after which crops could be lost completely.

A week ago, the al-Jazeera news network broadcast a documentary film about settler attacks throughout the West Bank. What they revealed is that a real war against Palestinian farmers is taking place and it is not being waged by just the "rabble," as Defence Minister Barak would like us to believe. Most of the local sources with whom the Alternative Information Center spoke emphasized that the settler youth who typically engage in such aggression are generally armed.

What the settlers are doing is a grave violation of human rights and international law and the Israeli authorities, especially the military, is part of this violation because they ignore their obligations as an occupying power, in ensuring a normal life for civilians living in the occupied territories. Moreover, there is real cooperation between the settlers and the Israeli military on this ground.

To describe the human rights violation is the first step, but the most important step that needs to be taken is the defense of human rights and an immediate end to the violations. This is the value of human rights principles.