King of the Hills: how one man is reshaping the West Bank
At 26, Elisha Yered has become the public face of an organized drive to establish illegal hilltop outposts, including in Palestinian-controlled areas, with activists openly seeking to break territorial continuity and undo the map created by Oslo Accords
Beita, a village in the northern West Bank, witnessed Palestinian olive farmers harvesting their crop on the same day as Israeli soldiers intervened to help settlers seize the olive groves. The harvest season, traditionally marking the start of October, is significant to Palestinians who consider olive trees as a cultural symbol.
This year, the conflict escalated with frequent attacks and thefts by settlers, who receive political support from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government ahead of the upcoming elections on October 27.
Upon the farmers' arrival at the groves in Beita, they encountered settlers. The settlers initially retreated when confronted by the farmers and visiting solidarity activists, including some Israelis. However, the situation escalated when soldiers arrived, dispersing the farmers and activists. In the chaos, a Palestinian farmer was detained by the army and heard screaming inside a military jeep, according to an AFP journalist.
Six journalists, including an AFP correspondent, were also detained but released shortly after 20 minutes without charges.
Mohammed Hamayel, a farmer from Beita, expressed frustration, stating, “Today, as usual, we went to harvest olives on the land where we, our parents and our grandparents grew up and lived.” The Israeli army justified its actions, claiming it was clearing the area to allow settlers to harvest the olives. Hamayel affirmed, “This is our land and, God willing, we will remain steadfast.”
Elsewhere in the northern West Bank, Israeli soldiers employed tear gas against Palestinian farmers, setting dry fields ablaze. Local Palestinians and firefighters worked to extinguish the fires. The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that 12 Palestinians were hospitalized due to beatings by settlers in five separate incidents. This violence occurred following the killing of two Palestinians by settlers on Thursday and Friday.
The violence has sparked international concern, with Britain leading sanctions against products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a move deemed illegal under international law. Netanyahu has denounced the criticism, attributing the incidents to a small, juvenile delinquent group. Violence has also impacted Israelis, as evidenced by a Palestinian shooting a settler in September.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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