Illegal Israeli settlers, together with Israeli occupation soldiers, attack volunteers helping Palestinian farmers pick olives

Israeli settlers attack campaign to help farmers in Hebron

Thursday October 18, 2007 11:58 by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News nisreen at imemc dot org

On Thursday morning, Israeli settlers and soldiers attacked scores of Israeli and international activists and Palestinian olive growers in the area around the illegal Israeli settlement of Atna'el.

The Israeli settlement of Atna'el was illegally constructed on Palestinian land which is owned by the people of the village of Al-Samou'a, in the southern part of the district of Hebron.

The General Committee for the Defense of Land in Hebron District reports that illegal Israeli settlers, together with Israeli occupation soldiers, attacked as volunteers helped Palestinian farmers pick olives on land adjacent to the settlement.

Illegal Israeli settlers used force to stop farmers and volunteers from reaching the olive groves and then attacked and beat them.

Moussa Makhatra, head of the Committee, said that despite the attacks, they had been able to pick scores of trees.

The campaign to ensure that olives near illegal Israeli settlements are picked was taking place for the sixth consecutive year and was being managed by the General committee for the Defense of Land in Hebron, in conjunction with the Agricultural Relief Society and a French voluntary group. The actual start of the campaign will be the 23rd of October. The campaign will continue for 20 days.

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