Israeli settlers organised a campaign to terrorise Palestinian farmers and obstruct their olive harvest near an illegal settlement south of Jerusalem on Monday, following a call circulated in settler WhatsApp groups urging extremists to prevent farmers from reaching their land.
The mobilisation near Neve Daniel, part of the illegal Gush Etzion settlement bloc in the occupied West Bank, comes amid escalating settler terror against Palestinian communities, including violent attacks on farmers, the destruction of olive groves and the theft of crops.
Under the banner "Stop the Harvest", the poster called on settlers to gather at 6:15am on Monday, ahead of the Palestinians' anticipated arrival at 6:30am. Alongside its appeal to "stop them", it instructed participants to bring at least two litres of water, sunscreen, hats and Israeli flags.
Footage from the scene on Monday morning showed a group of settlers attempting to prevent Palestinians from accessing agricultural land. Settlers could be seen arguing with Israeli soldiers, as well as journalists and activists who had gathered in response to the call-out.
The coordinated mobilisation highlights how settler intimidation and violence are used to terrorise Palestinian farmers and deny them access to their own land, rather than being isolated or spontaneous confrontations, according to Sam Avraham, a protective presence activist and journalist.
Avraham said Gush Etzion had acquired an unearned reputation as a "liberal settlement bloc", whose residents are often portrayed as less ideological than other settlers and motivated primarily by cheaper housing and proximity to Jerusalem.
"They’re absolutely ideological in that they believe in the project – not a single one of these people support a Palestinian state in any meaningful capacity," he told The New Arab.
He said that the group's voting patterns also challenged that reputation, pointing to support for far-right politicians such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Settlers advertising a “Stop the Harvest” event tomorrow — don’t forget your two liters of water (at least), hat, sunscreen, and closed shoes. https://t.co/Wh3hycsydT
— jasper nathaniel (@infinite_jaz) October 11, 2026
Harvest under attack
The annual olive harvest is a crucial source of income for Palestinian agricultural communities, but has increasingly become a target of Israeli settler terror, with attacks frequently intensifying during the season, exposing farmers to assaults, intimidation, crop theft and the destruction of trees while threatening their ability to access and cultivate their land.
On Friday, the Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission reported at least 19 settler attacks by midday across the occupied West Bank. These included assaults on olive harvesters, the burning of trees, theft of crops and livestock, and attacks on Palestinian residents.
It warned that repeated attacks, including incidents involving the participation or protection of Israeli forces, were creating "an environment of coercion intended to prevent Palestinians from benefiting from their land and to push them to abandon it".
For Avraham, the campaign of settler terror against Palestinian farmers forms part of a broader strategy of ethnic cleansing, aimed at making life unbearable and forcing Palestinians from their land.
"Stopping Palestinians from pursuing their livelihood is one of the most effective ways that the settler project carries out its ethnic cleansing," he said. "You know, if life is unlivable, the Palestinians will leave or be forced to leave."
Avraham said it was too early in the season to draw firm conclusions about the scale of this year's violence, but expected further organised attempts to obstruct Palestinian harvesting.
"There certainly will be more calls like this," he said.
He also warned that Israel’s approaching election could intensify settler violence, as settlers seek to exploit the remaining weeks of Netanyahu's current government. Israelis are scheduled to vote on 27 October.
"I think everyone expects this harvest season to be particularly horrific – the settlers are going to want to rush in and get as much violence in as possible before Netanyahu and his coalition are possibly unseated," Avraham said.