West Bank: Armed settlers attack Palestinians on first day of olive harvest
As the olive harvest season began in Palestine, Hasem Salama took his family to their land in the al-Lubban al-Gharbi village, northwest of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.
Before they could begin picking their olives, more than 50 masked and armed Israeli settlers appeared as soon as they arrived on Saturday morning.
They attacked them and beat them without justification, Salama said, leaving 11 people wounded, including women and a child.
"My nephew, who is seven years old, suffered bruises after they beat him without hesitation,” Salama told Middle East Eye.
“Two of the women sustained injuries to their hands during the barbaric attack," he added.
When they tried to push back against the attackers, the settlers intensified their assault, swinging iron pipes at the Palestinian residents.
Many people suffered bone fractures, including Salama, whose legs were wounded, leaving him unable to stand.
Israeli forces eventually arrived at the scene. However, eyewitnesses reported that they sided with the settlers, helping to expel the residents from the area without arresting any of the attackers.
"This is not the first time we have been attacked while picking olives, but it is the most brutal,” said Jasser Samhan, a landowner in the village.
“The army supported them and fired sound bombs at us to force us to leave our land and trees.”
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