15,000 Olive Trees Destroyed as Attacks Surge

Trees burning in a forest fire at night.

Israeli settlers have systematically torched over 15,000 olive trees and launched more than 200 violent attacks against Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank since October 2025, marking the most devastating assault on agricultural land in over a decade.

Story Highlights

Over 150 settler attacks recorded since October 2025, destroying 15,000+ olive trees across 27 Palestinian villages
UN documents show Israeli security forces actively support or participate in the land-grabbing violence
Settler violence has tripled compared to 2022 levels, with attacks targeting Christian communities and international activists
More than one million armed settlers now occupy Palestinian land with Israeli state subsidies

Systematic Land Seizure Through Violence

Israeli settlers have weaponized arson and assault to drive Palestinian families from their ancestral farmland in the occupied West Bank. Since early October 2025, over 150 documented attacks have destroyed more than 15,000 olive trees across 27 villages, eliminating crucial income sources for Palestinian farmers. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded these attacks as potentially the most violent month since tracking began in 2013, with one Palestinian killed and 99 injured in just the first week of October alone.

Israeli Military Enables Settler Attacks

The UN Human Rights Office documents that settler violence occurs “with the acquiescence, support, and in some cases participation, of Israeli security forces.” Armed settlers attacked international solidarity activists in the Wadi Abbas area while Israeli forces stood by without intervention. Two American Jewish women were detained and deported for attempting to help Palestinian farmers harvest olives near Burin, while settlers who opened fire on Rabbis for Human Rights activists faced no arrests.

Targeting Christian Communities and International Support

Settlers escalated attacks beyond Muslim areas, launching systematic arson attacks on homes in Taybeh, the largest Christian town in Palestine, while blocking emergency responders from reaching burning buildings. The violence aims to criminalize Palestinian self-defense and international solidarity efforts, forcing displacement through terror tactics. Over one million settlers now live on occupied Palestinian land, many armed and subsidized by the Israeli state, representing a tripling of attack frequency compared to 2022 levels.

Forced Displacement Accelerates Under Trump Administration

Settler violence continues forcing Palestinian families from villages like Ras Ein al-Auja in the Jordan Valley through January 2026, accelerating what UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese characterizes as ethnic cleansing. Independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel describes the violence as increasingly organized and systematic, comparing tactics to historical lynching patterns designed to terrorize entire communities into abandoning their land. This systematic campaign undermines property rights and human dignity that Americans hold sacred, while Western governments continue providing military aid enabling these violations.