The 2026 olive harvest season in the West Bank is facing increasing pressure as a result of escalating Israeli settler attacks and the imposition of severe restrictions on Palestinian farmers’ access to their lands, which threatens a decline in production and widening economic losses.
The olive season is a fundamental pillar and a major source of income for thousands of Palestinian families. However, preventing farmers from entering their fields, in addition to attacks on trees and crops, limits their ability to reap the fruits of a season that is considered a pivotal point in their annual livelihood.
The greatest concerns are concentrated in the areas surrounding settlements and settlement outposts. Farmers complain of cutting down and burning olive trees, stealing crops, preventing owners from accessing their lands, in addition to being subjected to physical attacks and direct threats.
These developments coincide with the escalation of calls within the Israeli government coalition to annex parts of the West Bank, which raises serious Palestinian concerns about the expansion of settlement activity and its direct repercussions on agricultural lands.
On the economic level, the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture warned of the repercussions of the continuation of these violations and restrictions during the harvest season. Estimates indicate that production was supposed to range between 20 and 21 thousand tons of olive oil under natural conditions that allow farmers free access to their lands.
However, estimates by agricultural specialists suggest that production will decline to between 14 and 15 thousand tons or less, if attacks and restrictions on the movement of farmers continue, which represents a decrease of between 25 and 33% compared to the estimated levels for the season in normal conditions.
The losses are not only limited to a decline in the quantities of oil produced, but also include a decrease in the income of agricultural families and damage to the presses and commercial activities related to the olive crop.
The importance of the olive tree in the West Bank goes beyond the purely economic dimension, touching on the depth of history and societal memory of the Palestinian countryside and its relationship with the land, as perennial trees represent a legacy and an inherited livelihood, which makes destroying them or depriving their owners of them a huge loss that goes beyond the limits of one agricultural season.
Palestinian farmers fear that repeated attacks and the difficulty of servicing the lands will lead to their inability to care for their trees, which will have long-term negative repercussions on their productivity in the coming years.
On the other hand, criticism from human rights organizations and international bodies is escalating, accompanied by serious demands to provide protection for civilians and ensure that landowners have unhindered access to their fields.
Thus, Palestinian farmers face a season fraught with challenges that are not limited to the difficulty of collecting fruits, but extend to protecting their livelihoods and ensuring their survival and ability to continue working on their lands.
