Preamble:
Olive trees in Palestine are a symbol of hope, civilization, history and identity; attacks against those trees are attacks against the Palestinian very existence. Every olive picking season, the Palestinian suffering is renewed…
Every year, Palestinian olives are targeted by radical colonists spreading all around the West Bank, those colonists who turned the West Bank into scorched earth with the help, protection and support of the Israeli Army who is considered as partner in crime associates .
In 2014, a total of 30 attacks on olive trees were documented. As usual , colonists with protection and help of the army carry out those attacks, leaving as much losses and damage as possible on Palestinian people and their lands as well.
Also, the year of 2014 witnessed the martyrdom of kid Bahaa Bader (13), who was killed by the occupation troops while he was on his way back home after finishing with olive picking. In addition to that and for more than eleven times, colonists were reported to attack farmers in their lands in attempt to stop them from cultivating their plots , which are located nearby colonies.
Moreover, colonists in 2014, fenced a number of agricultural plots that are planted with olives in the area of Deir al-Hatab , east of Nablus governorate for the sake of using them as pastures for the sheep of Alon Moreh colonists.; the village of al-Yanoon witnessed a different attack, which was represented in releasing colonists' cows in Palestinian planted lands to ruin the crops.
| No. | Date | Governorate | Location village | No of attacked trees | Nature of attack | Nature of damage | Perpetrators |
| 1 | 6/10/2014 | Salfit | Yasuf et-Tin el-Shami | 68 | Uprooting and sabotaging | Partial | Tapuah colonists |
| 2 | 6/10/2014 | Nablus | Burin Babb Sinneih | 7 | Uprooting and torching | Partial | Givat Ronen colonist |
| 3 | 6/10/2014 | Nablus | 'Aorta | 6 | Uprooting and sabotaging | Partial | Itamar colonists |
| 4 | 7/10/2014 | Tulkarm | Far'un | Denying farmers access through gate no. 308 at the wall | The Israeli occupation army | ||
| 5 | 7/10/2014 | Nablus | Deir al-Hatab | Colonists fencing a 200dunum plot | Alon More colonists | ||
| 6 | 9/10/2014 | Bethlehem | Husan | 35 | Uprooting and sabotaging | Partial and total | Betar Elite |
| 7 | ######## | Salfit | Yasuf al-Mamasik | An attempt to torch trees | Tapuah colonists | ||
| 8 | ######## | Nablus | Wadi al-Yanun | Attacking farmers and attempting to loot trees | Itamar | ||
| 9 | ######## | Nablus | Qaryut | Farmers banned from harvesting lands nearby the wall | The Israeli occupation army | ||
| 10 | ######## | Salfit | Bruqin | An order compelling the uproot of 110 trees | Israel Civil Administration | ||
| 11 | ######## | Nablus | Yasuf al-Mamasik | Assaulting citizen and closing the area after sending farmers out of it | The Israeli occupation army and Tapuah colonists | ||
| 12 | ######## | Tulkarm | Kfar al-Balad | Attacking farmers at time of harvesting and looting the crops, a ladder, a cell phone, and a donkey | Ifni Hiftis colonists | ||
| 13 | ######## | Qalqilya | Kfar Qaddum | 9 | Uprooting and sabotaging | Partial | Kedumim colonists |
| 14 | ######## | Salfit | Yasuf | Colonists attacking Palestinian farmers at time of harvest | Tapuah colonists | ||
| 15 | 16/10/2014 | Ramallah | Ni'lin | Colonists sabotaging a farmer's car while he harvests crops | Ni'lin colonists | ||
| 16 | 16/10/2014 | Ramallah | Beitin | Attempting to assault farmers at time of harvest | Beit El colonists | ||
| 17 | 16/10/2014 | Qalqilya | Kfar Qaddum | Attempting to assault farmers at time of harvest | Kedumim | ||
| 18 | 16/10/2014 | Salfit | Al-Zawyeih | 160 | Uprooting and sabotaging | Partial | Elkana colonists |
| 19 | 17/10/2014 | Qalqilya | Kfar Laqif | Attempting to loot olive crops | Karne Shamron | ||
| 20 | 17/10/2014 | Ramallah | Beit Liqya | Shooting the kid Baha' Badir(13) dead at time of harvest | The Israeli occupation army | ||
| 21 | 17/10/2014 | Jenin | Zububa | Assaulting farmers and sending them out of their lands | The Israeli occupation army | ||
| 22 | 18/10/2014 | Bethlehem | Tuqu' | 50 | Uprooting and sabotaging | Total | Tuqu' colonists |
| 23 | 18/10/2014 | Bethlehem | Jab'a | 50 | Uprooting and sabotaging | Partial | Beit Ain colonists |
| 24 | 19/10/2014 | Nablus | Aqraba | 20 | Releasing colonists' cows in Palestinian field to ruin corps | Itamar | |
| 25 | 22/10/2014 | Nablus | Huwwara | 130 | Torching trees | Total | Yizhar |
| 26 | 22/10/2014 | Ramallah | Al-Mugheer | 5 | Torching trees | Total | Adi Ad colonists |
| 27 | 29/10/2014 | Qalqilya | Kfar Qaddum | Looting 200kg of olive from Palestinians | Kedumim colonists | ||
| 28 | 30/10/2014 | Ramallah | Deir Nitham | Assaulting farmers at time of harvest | Halmish colonists | ||
| 29 | 3/11/2014 | Hebron | Dura | 40 | Ravaging saplings | The Israeli occupation army | |
| 30 | October and November | Jerusalem | Shu'fat | 150 | To open colonial roads no. 4 and 29 | ||
| Total | 730 | ||||||
Source: Field observation- Department of Monitoring Israeli Violation – Land Research Center
Columns indicate the number of attacks on olive trees in the West Bank during 2014
The Palestinian olive remains steadfast to reflect its Arab origins despite all Israeli attempts to distort and change facts and history. Despite all torching, uprooting and sabotaging, the Palestinian olive will always be the icon of the nation's identity , dignity and history.
Prepared by
