Palestinian farmers across the West Bank are finding it increasingly difficult to plough their fields as Israeli settlers, living illegally on Palestinian land, increase their attacks.
Rabbis for Human Rights report that last weekend, Saber Shayta, a Palestinian resident of Salem village, was admitted to in Beilinson Hospital after being attacked by four settlers. The attack took place last Friday after Israeli soldiers refused to remove an Israeli settler from "Scully’s Farm", who had blocked a Palestinian tractor with his vehicle.
Instead, Israeli soldiers demanded that the Palestinian farmers leave the field. 30 settlers then advanced on the Palestinians and Rabbis, and punched and pushed them while Israeli soldiers stood by watching. The Rabbis report that one settler fired his gun into the air while another broke their camera when he tried to steal it.
Spring is a vital season for the Palestinians to plough and cultivate their land. When it is impossible to plough sufficiently, there is often a greatly reduced olive harvest in the Autumn months.
