Israeli settlers filmed harvesting Palestinian olives in occupied West Bank

A video circulating in Israeli settler groups shows two men striking an olive tree with long sticks to knock down olives, which they later refer to as pure olive oil. According to Palestinian activist Bashar Qaryouti, the men filmed do not own the land, the trees, or the olives themselves.

The men are reported to be Israeli settlers who established an unauthorised outpost on private land near the village of Qaryut in the northern occupied West Bank. The olive grove they entered lies roughly 200 metres from Palestinian homes. One of the men commented in the recording, noting that no one had approached the area for around three years.

Local residents identified the man as Avichai Suissa, an Israeli settler who has faced sanctions from the European Union and the United Kingdom, and previously from the United States. He is said to operate a farm at the outpost, which was set up more than a year and a half ago. Videos such as this reportedly help him raise funds for the project. According to his campaign page, the stated aim is to rebuild and expand a farm that Israeli forces had previously dismantled, in order to prevent it from falling into what he calls enemy hands. In the footage, he mentions that settlers are gradually moving further into the area.

The land is said to belong to residents of Qaryut, who have been unable to access it since the war on Gaza began in October 2023. Qaryouti said that a few months earlier, farmers who attempted to plough the land were stopped by the Israeli army.