Ajith Sunghay mentioned on Tuesday that “settler violence has skyrocketed in scale and frequency, with the acquiescence, help, and in lots of instances participation, of Israeli safety forces – and at all times with impunity.”
Within the first half of 2025 alone, there have been 757 settler assaults inflicting casualties or property injury — a 13 per cent enhance in contrast with the identical interval final 12 months.
“Two weeks into the beginning of the 2025 harvest, we now have already seen extreme assaults by armed settlers towards Palestinian males, girls, youngsters, and overseas solidarity activists,” he added.
Harvests misplaced, land destroyed
In accordance with OHCHR knowledge, 96,000 dunums (round 9,600 hectares) of olive groves have been left unharvested in 2023, resulting in over $10 million in losses for Palestinian farmers — a development that continued into 2024.
“Direct land destruction can be escalating,” Sunghay mentioned. “Settlers have burnt groves, chain-sawed olive bushes, and destroyed properties and agricultural infrastructure.”
He underscored the broader toll of the occupation, noting that since October 2023, greater than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers within the West Financial institution, whereas hundreds have been displaced by assaults, motion restrictions and residential demolitions.
‘Livelihood and lineage’
“The olive right here is rarely only a tree,” Sunghay mirrored. “It’s livelihood and lineage, resilience and financial system, and a historic vein connecting Palestinians to the land.”
He mentioned that as much as 100,000 households rely upon the olive harvest for his or her livelihoods, describing it as “the financial spine of rural Palestinian communities.”
OHCHR, he mentioned, is working with companions to strengthen monitoring, present authorized help and preserve a protecting presence for farmers and landowners.
Mr. Sunghay warned that the surge in settler violence is happening “towards the backdrop of an accelerated Israeli land seize,” with officers “overtly declaring their intent to annex the entire of the West Financial institution.”
He reiterated that Israel “has a authorized obligation to finish the occupation and reverse the annexation,” and urged member states to “train most stress to guard civilians, halt and reverse these insurance policies, and guarantee accountability for many years of violations.”
“And sure,” he concluded, “it begins with the olives.”
