Israeli Forces’ ‘War-Like’ Attack on Olive Farmers Kills Female Harvester in West Bank

The recent fatal shooting of a 59-year-old woman by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier while she harvested olives in the West Bank has cast a spotlight on what has been described by a United Nations official as a “war-like” campaign by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Hanan Abu Salameh was picking olives with her family in their orchard in Faqqua, a village east of Jenin in the northern West Bank, when IDF soldiers stationed at a nearby separation barrier along the Israeli border suddenly began shooting, her son Faris Abu Salameh reported to Middle East Eye.

According to Faris, who witnessed his mother being shot, the family and other villagers had received authorization from Israeli authorities to harvest olives on their property provided they maintained a distance of at least 100 meters (328 feet) from the wall.

“We were well beyond that distance,” he explained. “Out of nowhere, they started firing indiscriminately. We gathered our belongings to leave, and my father tried to signal them to stop by waving his white hat. They shot my mother in the back as we were trying to escape the gunfire.”

The IDF announced on Friday that it had suspended the deputy commander of the battalion to which the soldier accused of shooting Abu Salameh belonged.

“The incident is currently under investigation by the military police,” the IDF stated. “The commanding officer at the time has been temporarily relieved of her duties pending the outcome of the investigation.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has documented 32 settler attacks on Palestinians and their properties, including agricultural lands, within this month alone. Additionally, around 600 olive trees, which require over a decade to mature, have been reported as destroyed, stolen, or damaged by Israeli settlers.

“The assaults aren’t just on individuals; they’re destroying the livelihoods of thousands by targeting their olive groves,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke during a press conference in Geneva. “The olive harvest is crucial for the economic survival of tens of thousands of Palestinian families.”

The Palestinian Farmers’ Union notes that olives are the primary agricultural product in the West Bank, with up to one-third of the population dependent on olive cultivation and related industries like oil and soap production. Israeli forces have markedly hindered Palestinians’ access to their lands, significantly impacting their economic well-being.

“Israeli forces are employing deadly, war-like tactics in the West Bank, which raises major concerns about excessive force and worsening humanitarian conditions,” Laerke added.

Violence against olive farmers commenced from the start of this year’s harvest season, with settlers, including members from the extremist Hilltop Youth group, inflicting injuries on at least 11 Palestinians, among them women and children, and seizing Palestinian land.

In response, the United States and other countries have imposed sanctions on some of the most violent Israeli settlers following several deadly attacks, during which IDF troops sometimes protected or joined the assailants.

Despite this, the U.S. remains Israel’s primary international ally, providing extensive military aid and diplomatic support, including vetoing several U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for ceasefires.

Meanwhile, Israel is facing charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for actions in a conflict that has resulted in over 150,000 Palestinians in Gaza being killed, injured, or displaced, and millions more suffering severe deprivation.

In the West Bank, over 750 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured by Israeli forces and settlers since last October, per the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. During the same period, Palestinian resistance has resulted in the deaths of more than 40 Israelis.

“The West Bank is Palestinian territory,” stated the California-based Institute For Middle East Understanding (IMEU) on social media. “Israeli soldiers have no legal grounds for their presence, yet they continue to invade and disrupt Palestinian communities, causing death and displacement.”

More than 700,000 Israelis reside in over 140 settlements in the West Bank, which, according to international law including the Fourth Geneva Convention, are deemed illegal. In July, the ICJ declared that Israel’s long-standing occupation constitutes an unlawful apartheid that must end immediately.

“The Biden administration is obligated, under both U.S. and international law, to cease arms supplies to Israel as it perpetuates violence across Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon,” IMEU emphasized. “Every weapon supplied by the U.S. facilitates further civilian casualties and prolongs this tragic conflict.”