Israeli Settlers and Forces Damage Thousands of West Bank Olive Trees

OPA WIRE, Nov 15 (OPA) — Israeli settlers and military personnel have intensified their operations across the occupied West Bank during the ongoing olive harvest season, compounding long-term environmental degradation in Palestinian territories. Since January, approximately 100,000 olive trees have been destroyed, with 4,500 damaged or uprooted within the first month of the current harvest alone. In the Gaza Strip, ongoing military operations since October 2023 have eradicated 97 percent of the territory's two million olive oil trees, according to regional assessments.

The systematic clearing of agricultural land forms part of a decades-long pattern of environmental and infrastructural disruption in the West Bank and Gaza. Since the 1967 occupation, more than 800,000 olive trees have been destroyed. Human rights monitors and agricultural experts note that this landscape re-engineering extends beyond vegetation, significantly impacting local water security and soil stability through pesticide spraying, restricted access to traditional wells, and the diversion of resources to illegal settlements by the national water company, Mekorot.

Environmental researchers highlight the cumulative impact of military bombardments and widespread urban demolition in Gaza, which has generated an estimated 70 million tonnes of rubble. Debris analyses indicate the presence of heavy metals including lead, cadmium, arsenic, tungsten, and aluminum, alongside explosive residues such as TNT, RDX, and perchlorates. These toxic compounds continue to infiltrate local topsoil and groundwater reserves, posing severe, long-term ecological risks to the region.

The destruction of agricultural mainstays carries profound economic and cultural consequences for Palestinian farming communities. Generations of families reliant on olive cultivation face sustained displacement and loss of livelihood as land is rezoned or rendered barren. Despite repeated losses of groves during successive military escalations, local agricultural workers continue efforts to replant and rehabilitate affected acreage across the territories.