Mainstream WeeklyPalestine / 23 October 2025
A first hand account by Uri Weltmann on a day in the life of peace activists from Israel, travelling to help Palestinians in the West Bank harvest their olives under threat from settlers and soldiers
It is the olive harvest season. Palestinian communities are preparing for it, as they have for generations. This is not only economically vital, but also a practice rooted in their history, culture, and traditions.
However, not all Palestinian farmers can simply go to the family plot and collect the olives growing on the trees. In dozens of villages across the Occupied West Bank, Palestinians face harassment, beatings, and sometimes even fatal attacks, carried out by extremist Israeli settlers.
During last year