UPDATED ON:
Saturday, October 18, 2008
17:42 Mecca time, 14:42 GMT
News Middle East
Violence at West Bank olive harvest
Jewish settlers attacked several peace activists during the annual harvest in Hebron [Reuters]

Jewish settlers have been caught on camera punching and kicking two news photographers and a British woman who was helping Palestinians pick olives near a West Bank town.

The Israeli police responded to the situation on Saturday by stopping the harvest.

The scuffle near the town of Hebron was the latest in a series of incidents blamed on settlers trying to disrupt the annual harvest which provides a livelihood for many Palestinians.

The settlers claim the trees are on Israeli land and the harvest is illegal.

Reuters television footage showed four settlers heading into a grove next to an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank where several Israeli, Palestinian and foreign peace activists were harvesting.

Violent scuffles

The settlers punched and kicked Abed Hashlamoun, a photographer for the European Pressphoto Agency (EPA), leaving a bloody scratch beneath one eye.

They also assaulted his brother, Nayef Hashlamoun, a Reuters photographer.
 
Janet Benvie, a British activist with Christian Peacemaker Teams, sustained a scratch to her lip after a scuffle with a settler who had grabbed a camera.

Israeli police stopped the harvest critical to many Palestinians' livelihoods [Reuters]

Benvie told Reuters television: "When I went to get the camera, one of the settlers punched me in the face." 

Footage showed Israeli soldiers arriving to break up the scuffle, but Benvie said they allowed the settlers to leave.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Ramallah, Nour Odeh, said: "This is not the first time ... olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank sees a peak in settler attacks against Palestinian farmers.

"There are more than one million olive trees belonging to Palestinian farmers feeding about 100,000 Palestinians in the West Bank. Most of these groves border the Israeli settlements which are, of course, illegal by international law.

"Picking these olives often requires the permission of the Israeli authorities, but in any case it is a chance for increased friction between the farmers and Israeli settlers."

Danny Poleg, a spokesman for the Israeli police in the West Bank said the area had been declared a closed military zone, effectively stopping the harvest.
 
Poleg said settlers and Palestinians had thrown stones at each other at the site.
 
Issa Amro, a Palestinian who works for the Israeli human rights group B'tselem, denied that any stones had been thrown and said police arrived after the scuffle had ended.
 
Poleg said no settlers had been arrested because no formal complaint had been lodged.
 
Three Israelis at the grove to help Palestinians with the harvest were later held for questioning after they refused police orders to leave, Poleg said.

 Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
 
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Feedback Number of comments : 57
 
Dave
United States
18/10/2008
Here in the USA there is a lot of people who oppose our goverments involvement in Iraq, and the middle east. I am one of those people. I have never been to Israel, and i am curious if there is a lot of Israelis opposed to the Palestinian policies?

Saad
United States
18/10/2008
The Settlers
These criminals are also called the rejects of Brooklyn who are supported and financed by the Zionist entity. Now ,after taking over the land and the water, now they are preventing Palestinain farmers from picking the olives. Olive crop is the main crop in Palestine and many families depned primarily on it. Does the Israel police stop the criminals, No they stopped the harvest all together. Go figure. what did you Arabs and Muslems do? Maybe Bark few words as usual. Sad, rather very sad .

manar
Jordan
19/10/2008
Violence at West Bank olive harvest
i wonder after all these evidences of the israili aggressions ...world still blind infront of the truth...what is more ... ofcource the israili governmen support those settlers and ofcource the police will never stand against the aggressive side since its themselves..

Dave
United States
19/10/2008
I don't believe this issue will ever be solved by the outside world. It will require a moderate movement within Israel to have change. They need a cultural revolution to change this situation. From my experience i find this unlikely aswell,due to the policy of having Israels join the military after school. This allows the goverment to shape all the young minds of the country. Some young Israels i'm sure see the wrong, but the numbers are not great enough to create change

highland
United States
19/10/2008
olive harvest
And how many of these violent settlers are US citizens that msn never mentions?

Jen
United States
19/10/2008
Zionists Should Leave Palestinians Alone
It's not enough that the Israelis have taken the Palestinian's land, they try to rob them of their livelihood too. Instead of prosecuting the attackers, the police use the occasion as an excuse to further thwart what continued existence the Palestinians have managed to eek out in the West Bank. How can the Zionists justify what they are doing? How can anyone justify supporting them?

Mike
Canada
19/10/2008
When will the Israeli Settlers be Arrested?
A couple of days ago an Israeli Arab was arrested for inciting violence in Acre. Will these Israeli settlers who incited violence here be arrested? Will roadblocks be put up in their settlements to prevent them from freely moving into the Palestinian areas and committing these ruthless attacks and crimes? Time for the Israeli government to step up

kimmy
Canada
19/10/2008
Israeli occupation
This is just another example of Israeli and US support of illegal settlements. They talk sweetly, but they do not care about the plight of the Palestinian people.

Ernest
United States
19/10/2008
Violence at West Bank olive harvest
The violence instigated by these radical Jewish settlers is not representative of Judism. They should have been arrested whether or not a formal complaint was made and the Palestinians should have been able to continue their harvest. This does not make me happy and quite the contrary, it upsets me.

Henry
Canada
19/10/2008
We were all misled about the Jews
I grew up in Canada to respect Jewish people. We saw the film "Exodus" in our teens, and thought it was a fine film. But in my 50s, I discovered we had been terribly misadvised. I came to understand there should never have been that exodus. There should never have been a new zionist state, and it really must be recognized now for the truth of what it is. Israel should be removed from its placement if Canada wants to set aside some of its land for such a people, let it be.

Don
United States
19/10/2008
Israels Right to Existance
Israel was founded before I was born, but obviously there were people living there already, and they weren't happy about having their lands stolen. Other than this religious book that the Jewish people wrote themselves, is there any justification, whatsoever, for these guys existance? Why don't we all get together, and kick them back out. Would that make everything else ok, then, and we could all get along together? Just my thought...

shenanigan
United States
19/10/2008
olives
they should to be hell to pay if Israel stop the OLIVES harvest. The best way to have peace in the middle east, if the USA stop all aid to Israel . it also will teach if Israel wants to live in the middle east it has to learn to get alone with it neighbors. the world would live in peace,this has been discuss by this administration before and they been afraid of it upsetting the jews state.

hans
United States
20/10/2008
Israeli settlers/occupiers
The single biggest threat to world peace is this illegal settler movement. The only result will be a one state solution.

Nick
United States
20/10/2008
I love how all u call Americans Zionist but, you all live in the united states, you all hate Americans so much , but would pack up and move to the U.S. , in a second, if you had the chance , make’s no sine to me ? Go back to where ever your from if you hate America so much !

John Leonard
New Zealand (Aotearoa)
20/10/2008
Forget the stones, have a war!
So sad to hear all this hatred spoken. I known there is no trust between the parties, so hoping for discussion to find a solution is a forlorn hope. Sometimes the best thing to relieve the pressure is a good war. Then when both sides are tired and sick of killing then maybe they can work something out?

Jim Brooks
United States
20/10/2008
Violence at West Bank Olive Harvest
Israel will continue to find new ways to make life unbearable for Palestinians until there are no Palestinians left! That is not the dream of all Jews, but it is the dream and the goal of the terrorist group of Israeli Zionists who run the Israeli government and who have such a strong presence in Washington that they control the US news media and US Foreign Policy. These are the people who the world would be so much better off if they did not exist! Then there would BE no more terrorists!

Willy Van Damme
Belgium
20/10/2008
Bitter harvest
Maguro: As it is clear to everyone that some Israeli Jews support the rights of the Palestinians this doesn't have to be debated as it is obvious. And along the Palestinian side you, as in Israel proper you have all sorts of people, good and bad. The essential difference however between both societies is that Israel is always on the attack and continues to steal land and destroy the Palestinians economy. There is as here a agressor and a victim of agression. Palestinians are on the defensive.

Tom
Afghanistan
20/10/2008
I tend to be pro-Israeli BUT, I believe this AJ article is correct. Those men are merely trying to provide for their families and this is out & out bullying by the Israelis. I admit I feel the Arabs do the majority of the fanning of the flames of hate, but here is a good example of the Israelis doing their share. One fire feeds the other and there appears to be plenty of fuel. MIKE is right – they get arrested?

david
United States
20/10/2008
jews attack palestinians
alll jews do is cause problems......they are criminals in a criminal state....its amazing how the world and especially the US are so blind......they dont want peace...all they have to do is give back land that is illegally theirs in the first place(1967)....and most palestinians would be happy....but no these jews are greedy and its going to come back and they will regret it

Mahmoud
Egypt
21/10/2008
dissension and animosity
I just want every one to understand that they are really cowards .... all what they can do is to assault the vulnerable innocent palestinians.... they are not suffient with killing the children and widowing the women but they do more heinous crimes than the cited ones by preventing the civiians from the most essenial thing to their live which is food. think how this is horrible!!!!!

abdul kadir
United Kingdom
20/10/2008
Violence at West Bank olive harvest
the nation of sadia arabia & other muslim nations needs to open there eyes seen whats happeing to the fellow muslims brothers and sissters and ACT QUIK about it before its too late and there wont be no more palestine if they can turn there backs on them so what can USA or isreali do to stop the zionist regime destroying world peace

reza santorini
United States
20/10/2008
settlers
The settlers are ultra-orthodox extremists who are a reaction to the extremists Muslims, which is no excuse. Israel had best get these people in line as they will be no better than those terrorist Muslims they want under control by their government. They better stop these extremists before they become the government.

Aaron
Canada
21/10/2008
to arthur
dear arthur dent: are you mad? can you not even read the article? the woman who was punched was an international peace activist with the CPT. a british woman who puts her life in harms way to try to document human rights abuses. shame on you arthur, for your ignorance.

Aaron
Canada
18/10/2008
as being witness firsthand to similar attacks like this in Hebron and surrounding areas, I am in my way suprised to hear this news, but still appalled at the complicity of Israeli troops in the face of blatant human rights abuse.

Fouad
Netherlands
18/10/2008
Zionist Israel and its Lebensraum.
The true face of Israel and it's drive to either exterminate all Palestinians or drive them out. Nothing stands in the way of Grossisrael and the expansion of their Lebensraum.

Ayub
Afghanistan
18/10/2008
Despicable
The Jews not only occupied Palestinian lands but also preventing them from picking olives,which is their livelihood.Not to mention punching a woman.These cowards should be dealt with quick justice or fight fire with fire and beat them as well when ever one gets a chance.The Jews will pay for this atrocity sooner or later,hopefully sooner.What is the rest of the world doing,just watching these lawless criminals and murderers occupying and making the Palestinians miserable.

Davis
United States
18/10/2008
Israels influence will fade
Arab and Muslim influence is growing in the US and in the rest of the world. The Israeli lobby will eventually be balanced by the Palestinian lobby. It is only a matter of time. Soon the post WWII sentiments will fade and Israel will be seen as simply a friend to the USA, not as a special friend. Violence should not be tolerated from either side.

Mohannad El-Khairy
United Arab Emirates
18/10/2008
The situation in Hebron
What more proof does the international community need to do something about such blatantly racist, ideologically faschist, and out right barbaric behavior against the Palestinians? The situation in Hebron is a ticking time bomb no more than 500 settlers controlling the lives of over 150,000 Palestinians who are constantly harrassed their crimes never shown in Western media. Thank you Al Jazeera for exposing the true nature of these settlers and the law-enforces they collude with.

ming
United States Minor
18/10/2008
Isrealis attack farmers
The whole world is watching the illegal occupiers attacking unarmed farmers but do nothing.

Labhras
Ireland
18/10/2008
Illegal Settler thugs
Why were these thugs allowed to leave after they had beaten up the Olive grove workers and attempted to steal/damage their property. If it were Palestinians we would be reading about their deaths. Israel a just society I think not. Israel a Democracy I think not. Israel to become a Bi National State -I think so.

Auther Dent
Singapore
19/10/2008
Punching a woman, yes they should be ashamed. It's not she would be a used as a suicde bomber. Oh wait, they are now. In fact the first Palestine suicide bomber was a woman. Any we can't go around punching them......

Willy Van Damme
Belgium
19/10/2008
Sour pickings
This events shows again the cruel nature of the Zionist settlers and the Israeli state protecting and financing them. The same for the hypocrites running the West who whenever it's about China, Zimbabwe or Russia protest loud about human rights and freedom. But when it's about Israel they keep quiet and make sure Israeli aggression is financed and can continue. The real blame threfore should be directed at the US and EU. It is they who are attacking Palestinians via these settlers.

maguro
Canada
19/10/2008
olives
No justification for the settlers criminal behaviour , none. Nobody seriously injured. No comment on the Israeli's who helped pick in solidarity with the Palestinians, none. Too bad your readers are not as vocal about innocents murdered in suicide bombings. The difference in the two societies is that there are Israeli's opposed to the actions of the settlers's and do something to show it. No one celebrates immoral behaviour.

pg
United States
19/10/2008
Violence at West Bank Olive Harvest
To Dave: If you have access to the Documentary Channel, watch the documentary entitled 'The Other Zionists.' You might also want to follow Haaretz, especially the feedback e-mails, for further insights.

Human
Canada
19/10/2008
Obviously there are wrongs being done by some Jews as there are by some Muslims. There is still no justification for hatred being shown for all Jews or Muslims as some have written here.

maguro
Canada
19/10/2008
OMG
Henry..glad to know you enjoyed Exodus the movie but that doesn't excuse your blatant ignorance and racism Don..it's called the Old Testament, and your views are called the Final Solution, been tried by the Nazi's Faoud..exterminate the Pals?, past 20 years spent having peace rejected by a people who want to drive the Jews into the sea Ming..Tiananmen and Tibet Ayub..see Taliban kill 20, get your own house in order no justification for violence but come on , lets have intelligent discourse

camach
Afghanistan
19/10/2008
jews
jews are crazy but arabs are stupid basterds and i am an self hatting arab and i hate and me

Ray
United States
20/10/2008
Jewish Thugs
The easiest way to end the persecution of the Palestinians is for the US to end all funding and arms supplies to Israel. Oh wait, then the US wouldn't have anybody over there to do their dirty work! I think it is quite ironic that the Jewish people want respect when they show none to their fellow human beings. Not even in the US.

Michael
United States
20/10/2008
Zionists
and this is our only friend in the Middle east..........this is truly a sad state of affairs. We should stop all aid to Israel. The great zionist experiment has failed. Israel is a democratic sham. All zionists need to be returned to their families country of origin.

reid
United States
20/10/2008
olives
It every human beings God given right to seed sustanance in harvesting the earth. I believe that the Zionists have their priorities in a selfish vision of their "rights". History tells us that the Zionists come to God with their mouths and far from their hearts. Where is their love of God and towards their neighbors? This is a prime example why their plight will fail because I know for a fact that God will not tolerate this type of behavior. My prayer is that the Palestinians will perseveare.

olga
United States
20/10/2008
brooklyn out of the west bank
The only time I've ever had a gun pointed directly at me was in a Palestinian olive grove by two hippy-esque israeli settlers who single handedly drove all of the Palestinian farmers out of the olive groves. This was one of the saddest, most racist, and most horrible things I've ever experienced. The occupation needs to end immediately.

Bob
Canada
20/10/2008
West Bank violence
Israel is sowing the seeds of another holocaust of it's own people. It's a matter of time and when it happens the nations of world will not help Israel as it has used up it's post WW2 credit of sympathy. If it's Armageddon, it will be the end of the jewish people.

maguro
Afghanistan
21/10/2008
feedback
well my last comment on these racist rants was not posted..typical of the bias of this forum..this is just an outlet for narrow minded anti-semitic bigots to opine on how the the Jews are responsible for all that is wrong everywhere, get rid of them the Palestinians are just poor, ignorant and oppressed...have many opportunities for peace have they squandered to Willy..I guess launching hundreds of Kassam's into Sderot is defensive? as are suicide bombings, kidnappings, hijackings,

BRIAN STEINBERG
Afghanistan
22/10/2008
I AM A JEW AND I KNOW THE TRUTH!
In the western media Jewish Israelis are portrayed as the “innocent angels” and Palestinians are portrayed as the “Devils advocates!” Further, Middle Eastern studies in the western universities are preached by Jewish professors (is it for real!)? These images are a real shocker to the intelligent people! LOL! I live by a simple motto ... what goes around comes around and every action has a consequence ... in this life or the next! Jews are doing the same fixation as Hitler did to them!

Matt
Netherlands
22/10/2008
Violence in Palestine
Neither am I exreemly pro Palestine, nor pro Israel based on a fundamental aniti palestinian or anti jewish position, to get this out of the way, but how can it be that the children and grandchildren of those who died in the gaschambers and through the state terror of Nazi Germany, can not see the similarities between their actions and that of the Nazi's. The Nazi's used lebensraum, the zionist Zion. I respect Jewish culture and have had marvelous Talmoed classes from a rabby. But why?

Nick
United States
22/10/2008
Violence at West Bank Olive Harvest
On a positive note, at least some of our (USA) money funds the 25% abortion rate in Israel. Hopefully resulting in fewer nuts. Still a long way to go...

Jan
Spain
22/10/2008
The great robbery
The greatest robbery in history is the creation of Israel on stolen land. And they keep steeling, defying UN resolutions and manufacturing and using WMD.

TicaTere
United States
23/10/2008
west bank violence
Once again it's the US's fault...really? I don't agree with everything our gov't does, but I also don't think that playing the blame game is productive. Change happens one person at a time, one family at a time, one street at a time, one neighborhood at a time, one town at a time, one region at a time, one state at a time, one country at a time. But it all starts with the individual. Take responsibility for your own actions and attitudes, treat others as you want to be treated...

Heba Khalil
Egypt
24/10/2008
The Palestinians are a people humiliated, dehumanised and exterminated by the Israelis infront of everyone. People watch, listen and feel sorry, but no one is ready to react. Shamefully, the Arabs (since 1948) have been using the Palestinian cause for their own interests and have never cared for the Palestinians. I am sure in the future, we will look back at those violations and give them a term like genocide. We will react as always, when it is too late, and only with words, not with actions.

Teresa
United States
24/10/2008
Israel/West Bank Violence
To Don...I'm not sure Jewish scriptures even still give Israel right to the land. Joshua, a leader of old, said in Joshua 23:14, "...not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled." Done. He also says in verse 16 that if the Jews follow after other gods, they will quickly perish from the good land He has given them...which is what happened in the days of the Babylonian empire. Sounds to me like they lost their right to the land.

Lina
Palestinian Territory
24/10/2008
not only that it is unfair that we have to be judged for any movement we do IN OUR LAND but it is unfair that none of this show on tv. if it was to happen to any jew that he or she was hurt than we are the terorrist. however, we have children, woman, men being killed just walking down the street. Thats how terorrism happens! no matter what goes on and the stories being told from the media, they are all just to cover there selfishness and ignorance. god bless those arabs and jews who suffer.

fjdsfjdsklf
United States
24/10/2008
truely dispicable. this is an example of the intolerance of some israelis. however, i am sure not all of them feel this way, and many probably just want peace with the palestinians. sad...

M. DAvanzo
United States
21/10/2008
Typical
Yet aother story that will never see the light of day on any U.S. news site/network.

Nina
Canada
21/10/2008
Lack of political will from international community
I just don't understand how the international community claims to want peace in this area of the world and not impose drastic measures on the Israeli government for it to abide by the international laws. Jewish settlers are illegal in the WB.That's that! Measures have been taken prior on other nations who did not abide by international laws.Whether it were sanctions or complete cut off of political relations. In the case of Israel,there are so many ways to stop the crimes,but no political will.

Tom Simunovic
Canada
22/10/2008
Israeli Palestinian dispute olive trees
All comments focus on political conflict, and neglect the fact that the dispute is over the specific land boundaries. If we have a land dispute here in America between two neighbours, are we going to side with the Moslem owner immediately? We should separate politics and legal issues. Otherwise we'll have a simplistic justice - that moslems are always right and unbelievers wrong. Our world belongs to everyone who buys or rents property legally. One day, the world will be one country anyway.

Scorpio
Israel
22/10/2008
I wonder if this will be published ???
As an Israeli I condemn these acts of the settlers, i think that they are the real threat to Israel, and to any chance of peace However, just to remind you some facts: 1) All Middle east wars were sparked by the arabs who wanted to destroy Israel. 2) Israel made peace with Egypt and Jordan including the return of every centimeter of land occupied in 1967 3) Araft could have signed a treaty with Israel but was too afraid. 4) in 9/11 Muslims attacked the US, is Israel to blame for that too?

Desi
Afghanistan
23/10/2008
Olives
What ever happened to the "olive branch"?

 
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