Palestinian Foreign Ministry calls Israeli attacks on West Bank olive harvesters ‘war crimes’
Ministry demands international protection after attacks kill Palestinian, wound over 20
WEST BANK, Palestine (MNTV) – The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Israeli attacks on olive harvesters in the occupied West Bank in which farmers were blocked from accessing their land and ambulance crews trying to reach the wounded were assaulted constitute war crimes.
In a statement, the ministry condemned escalating attacks by Israeli forces and occupiers, citing an assault on farmers harvesting olives between Burqa and the Ramin Plain east of Tulkarm.
The attack killed Ali Hassan Yasser al-Bazari, 44, and wounded more than 20 Palestinians, including several with serious gunshot wounds, it said.
The ministry said farmers were shot at, beaten and prevented from reaching their land, while ambulance crews were attacked as they tried to reach and evacuate the wounded.
Three paramedics and a volunteer were detained, ambulance keys were seized and crews were forced to leave, it added.
Warning against further escalation, the ministry urged the international community to fulfill its “legal and moral responsibilities” and provide international protection for Palestinians.
It demanded that Israel, as the occupying power, be compelled to halt the attacks, and that perpetrators, those shielding them and those inciting crimes against Palestinians be held accountable.
The ministry also called for practical deterrent measures to halt settlement expansion and attacks by Israeli occupiers and protect farmers and ensure access to their land, ultimately ending the occupation of Palestinian territory, with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital.
Attacks by Israeli occupiers and restrictions on Palestinian farmers have intensified since the olive harvest began in early October, including beatings, crop theft and the uprooting or destruction of trees.
Around 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in 156 illegal settlements and 360 settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The occupied West Bank has witnessed an escalation in Israeli raids and arrests since October 2023, alongside increasing occupier attacks, movement restrictions, and closures of entrances to Palestinian towns and villages.
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