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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Jason Burke in Deir Istiya

Why settler intimidation of West Bank farmers is about far more than the olive harvest

Ibrahim Abu Hijleh and Majdi Sahaban points to one of the nearby Israeli settlements that he says has prevented him from bringing in 90% of his harvest.
Ibrahim Abu Hijleh, right, with his fellow farmer Majdi Sahaban, points to one of the nearby Israeli settlements that he says have prevented him from bringing in 90% of his harvest. Photograph: Jason Burke/The Guardian

The olive trees cover the dry, rocky slopes around Deir Istiya, spreading deep into the valley to its west, lining the main roads, filling the gardens, and shading its graveyards.

But many farmers in the historical Palestinian town, deep in the occupied West Bank, say that this year they have been unable to harvest much of the vital olive crop, blaming an intensifying campaign of intimidation and violence by people from the half-dozen Israeli settlements and outposts nearby.

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