Israeli Aggressions on Palestinian Olives during the Olive Picking Season
September 15 – November 30, 2012

Israeli Aggressions on Palestinian Olives during the Olive Picking Season <br> September 15 – November 30, 2012

December 1, 2012

The Palestinian olives are a symbol of civilization, history, and identity which makes it a target for the Israeli occupiers who tend to cleanse the Palestinians and remove them from these lands. Every year, the olive-picking season becomes a season of attacks carried out by Israeli colonists spreading all around the West Bank; all being done under the protection, probably supervision, of the Israeli Occupation Authorities which bless the attacks.

Qaryut village was subjected to the most number of aggressions in 2012; the brutality of the colonists in the destruction of Roman (centuries old) olives was significant. Using gas to burn trees and saws to cut all of its branches was not new but the way it was done shows the brutality and hatred of these colonists during their attacks on this symbol of peace.

It is worthy to mention that targeting mosques and public properties by the group ‘price tag’ comes concurrently with attacks on olive trees and farmers all around the West Bank. this proves that the attacks are systematic and organized and not just isolated incidents showing that certain organizations stand behind the attacks.

Undoubtedly, the last olive picking season was not different than the previous ones in terms of the Israeli soldiers and colonists maltreatment of olive trees and farmers which included chasing away farmers, ravaging trees, and stealing crops. This year, 76 aggressions have been reported including 41 against trees. The attacks in brief:

76 attacks on farmers including 70 that were committed by colonists.

2183 olive trees were damaged during the olive picking season, these included:

1900 trees cut or uprooted, 250 trees soaked in sewage, and 33 burned.

975 trees were permanently damaged were the rest were ravaged partially.

the attacks hit 315 seedlings, 510 5-10 years of age, and 1358 productive trees.

Table 1: Israeli aggressions against olive trees in the 2012 olive picking season

Date	Town	Location	Torching	Uprooting	Soaking in sewage
Hebron			0	446	0
15/9/2012	Yatta	Al Hamra, At Tawani		2
15/9/2012	Yatta	Al Hamra, At Tawani		9
15/9/2012	Yatta	Al Hamra, At Tawani		6
15/9/2012	Yatta	Al Hamra, At Tawani		1
15/9/2012	Yatta	Al Hamra, At Tawani		8
15/9/2012	Yatta	Al Hamra, At Tawani		1
14/10/2012	Beit Ummar			16
14/10/2012	Beit Ummar			3
22/11/2012	Yatta	Ad Deirat		400
Bethlehem			0	340	50
6/10/2012	Al Khader	Al Masatsa		170
6/10/2012	Al Khader	Al Masatsa		70
16/10/2012	Al Khader	Irq al Zi’ba		50
8/11/2012	Nahhalin	Ein Fares		50
1/11/2012	Wadi Fukin				50
Ramallah			18	357	0
4/10/2012	Mikhmas	Al Hilwa, western part of the village		130
9/10/2012	Ras Karkar	Khirbat ‘Iner		27
10/10/2012	Mughayyir	Jabal al Amwat		71
11/10/2012	Burqa	Ras al Aqaba		41
12/10/2012	Bitillo	Adh Dhor		37
19/10/2012	Deir Ammar	An Nabi ‘Iner		9
19/10/2012	Deir Ammar	An Nabi ‘Iner		9
19/10/2012	Deir Ammar	An Nabi ‘Iner		13
22/10/2012	Deir Ammar	An Nabi ‘Iner			9
22/10/2012	Deir Ammar	An Nabi ‘Iner			4
22/10/2012	Al Janya				5
22/10/2012	Al Mazraa			20
Nablus			15	346
9/9/2012	Qusra	Salta, south eastern part of the village		13
28/9/2012	Burin	Khallit Siwar		81
				60
				18
7/11/2012	As Sawiyya	Kaffit al Wa’r		20
9/10/2012	Qaryut	Al Bteisha		86
13/10/2012	Qaryut	Al Bteisha	15
17/10/2012	Deir al Hatab	Khallit Ismael		11
6/11/2012	Burin			68
Salfit			0	355	0
18/9/2012	Haris	Abu Dras		300
28/11/2012	Deir Ballout	Iraq al Tout		30
28/11/2012	Deir Ballout	Iraq al Tout		25
Qalqiliyya			0	45	200
12/10/2012	Kafr Kaddum	Khalayel abu Mjed, Awdala
	Jinsafut	Wad al Sharqi, Harayeq Salem, Wadi Khaled
Total			33	1900	250
Total			2183

*source: field Observations, Monitoring Israeli Human Rights Unit – LRC

Table 2: colonists aggressions during the 2012 olive picking season:

No.	Date	Governorate	Location	Inflicted damage
1	18/9/2012	Salfit	Haris	Expelling farmers from their fields
2	6/10/2012	Qalqiliyya	Kafr Kaddum	An attempt to steal olive crops, the Israeli Occupation Army declared the area a closed military zone soon afterwards
3	6/10/2012	Hebron	Yatta	Colonists attacked a number of Palestinian farmers
4	6/10/2012	Ramallah	Ras Karkar	Attacking farmers while picking olives
5	7/10/2012	Ramallah	Bitillo	Colonists attacked three Palestinian families and detained them for a while before releasing them
6	9/10/2012	Nablus	Urif	Stealing crops
7	10/10/2012	Ramallah	Mughayyir, Jabal al Amwat	Cutting 71 olive trees
8	10/10/2012	Qaqiliyya	Far’atta	Stealing over 100 kg of olives
9	10/10/2012	Jenin	Jalboun (behind the segregation wall)	Stealing crops and preventing farmers from reaching their fields
10	10/10/2012	Nablus	Burin	Physically abusing farmers
11	11/10/2012	Hebron	Tal Rmeida	Stealing crops
12	12/10/2012	Hebron	Tal Rmeida	Attacking a Palestinian family, injuring some of its members
13	12/10/2012	Qalqiliyya	Kafr Kaddum	Attacking farmers, stealing crops, breaking branches
14	12/10/2012	Nablus	Burin	Attacking farmers
15	12/10/2012	Ramallah	Bitillo	Cutting olive trees
16	13/10/2012	Nablus	Qaryut	Attacking farmers using fire arms and stealing their equipmesnt
17	17/10/2012	Nablus	Qaryut	Stealing crops
18	17/10/2012	Nablus	Iraq Burin	Physically abusing a farmer
19	19/10/2012	Nablus	Buring	Beating a farmer and his wife
20	19/10/2012	Qaqiliyya	Kafr Kaddum	The Israeli Army declares the village a closed military zone
21	19/10/2012	Jenin	Jalboun	Impeding Palestinian farmers with rocks
22	20/10/2012	Nablus	Qaryut, Ras Moyes	Fencing a 10-dunum olive field
23	20/10/2012	Qalqiliyya	South western side	Preventing farmers from picking olives
24	20/10/2012	Nablus	Deir al Hatab	Cutting olive trees
25	20/10/2012	Nablus	Urif	Stealing crops
26	26/10/2012	Jenin	Yabad	Attacking farmers
27	27/10/2012	Ramallah	Ras Karkar	A colonists shooting some rounds towards farmers
28	28/10/2012	Jenin	Yabad	A group of colonists detained 8 Palestinian young men while picking olives
29	1/11/2012	Qalqiliyya	Jit	Attacking farmers
30	3/11/2012	Nablus	Urif	Attacking farmers before the intervention of the Israeli troops which arrested a Palestinian
31	6/11/2012	Nablus	Burin	Setting 7 dunums of olive fields alight
32	9/11/2012	Qalqiliyya	Jinsafut	Soaking 55 dunums of olive fields with sewage
33	21/11/2012	Nablus	Huwwara, Al Lahf	Attacking farmers before handing them to the Israeli forces
34	22/11/2012	Ramallah	Al Mazra al Qibliyya	Preventing farmers from picking olives
35	24/11/2012	Ramallah	Al Janiya	Stealing crops

*source: field Observations, Monitoring Israeli Human Rights Unit – LRC

Table 3: aggressions during the olive picking season – by governorate:

Governorate	Aggressions	Damaged trees
Hebron	13	446
Bethlehem	5	390
Ramallah	19	375
Nablus	24	427
Salfit	2	300
Qalqiliyya	9	245
Jenin	4	0
Total	76	2183

*source: Monitoring Israeli Human Rights Unit – LRC

Colonists attacks during the 2012 olive picking season

Table 4: perpetrators:

No.	Perpetrators	aggressions
1	The Israeli Occupation Army	6
2	Colonists of Yizhar	16
3	Colonists of Talmoun, Zeit Ranan, Neriya	7
4	Colonists of Nahliel	4
5	Colonists of Shivut Rachel, Adi Ad, and Yish Kudish	5
6	Colonists of Talmoun	3
7	Colonists of Kfar Tipuah	3
8	Colonists of Eli and Ras Moyes	4
9	Colonists of Kadummim	3
10	Colonists of Afrat	2
11	Colonists of Neve Daniel	2
12	Colonists of Neve Oranim and Gilad Zohar	2
13	Colonists of Jalbo’	2
14	Colonists of Shiar Benjamin and Migron	2
15	Colonists of Ramat Yishai	2
16	Colonists of Mevo Dotan	2
17	Colonists of Alone Moreh	2
18	Colonists of Revava	2
19	Colonists of Emmanuel	2
20	Colonists of Bitar Elit	1
21	Colonists of Maon	1
22	Colonists of Baracha	1
23	Colonists if Beit Ein	1
24	Colonists of Karmael	1
total		76