TURMUS AYYA, West Bank — Fear hangs over Palestinian villages like Turmus Ayya, especially during the annual olive harvest. Farmers hurry to gather their olives, scan the valleys for movement, and avoid certain roads, knowing that armed Israeli settlers could strike at any moment.
“In minutes, they get on their phones, gather themselves, and surprise you,” said Yasser Alkam, a Palestinian-American lawyer and farmer. “They hide between the trees, ambush people, and beat them severely.”
Turmus Ayya has faced near-daily attacks in recent months, particularly after settlers established an outpost on what Palestinians say is their land. Alkam says he cannot safely reach his fields. In one attack, he witnessed a settler beat a Palestinian woman unconscious with a spiky club.
Olive farming has been central to life in the West Bank for generations. Traditionally, families would spend long hours together in the groves, harvesting olives and enjoying meals under the trees. This year, however, fear overshadowed the harvest.
The United Nations reported that during October, settlers launched an average of eight attacks daily across the West Bank, the highest number since data collection began in 2006. By November 24, at least 136 more attacks were recorded. Settlers burned cars, desecrated mosques, ransacked industrial plants, and destroyed cropland. Israeli authorities have largely limited their response to occasional condemnations.
One notable attack involved Afaf Abu Alia, a grandmother harvesting a grove of olive trees loaned to her after her own 500 trees were bulldozed earlier this year. She was beaten by a settler and required 20 stitches on her head after being hospitalized for four days. Israeli authorities arrested Ariel Dahari, the alleged attacker, and later charged him with terrorism.
Human rights groups say Israeli police and soldiers rarely prosecute violent settler attacks. The sense of impunity has deepened under far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who in January released settlers from administrative detention. Only 3 percent of investigations into settler violence from 2005 to 2024 led to convictions, according to Yesh Din.
The outpost Emek Shilo, established this year on private Palestinian land, has intensified local tensions. Usually small and minimally constructed, such outposts can gain official authorization over time, restricting access to land and water for Palestinian communities.
Villagers reported that settlers patrol the area with vehicles and drones, surveilling fields and intimidating residents. Construction projects have been halted, and workers attacked.
Despite the threats, residents continue to return to their groves. Abu Alia said she plans to harvest olives again next year, determined not to let fear drive her away.
The olive harvest in West Bank villages, once a time of community and tradition, has become a period shadowed by violence and uncertainty, highlighting the enduring tensions between settlers and Palestinian residents.
