Rabbi helps occupied West Bank farmers amid rising Israeli settler violence

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US-born Israeli Reform Jewish rabbi Arik Ascherman, a member of the Israeli human rights organization "Rabbis for Human Rights", helps Palestinians during the olive harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

US-born Israeli Reform rabbi Arik Ascherman, a member of the Israeli human rights organisation Rabbis for Human Rights, helps Palestinians during the olive harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

Published On 13 Nov 2023

Stooping under the weight of his body armour but uncowed by the threat of violence, rabbi Arik Ascherman guards an olive grove in the occupied West Bank, protecting Palestinian farmers from rising Israeli settler violence.

“There is no excuse, there is no explanation, no justification for what Hamas did” in its October 7 attacks on southern Israel, said the US-born 64-year-old, a veteran activist with the Rabbis for Human Rights group, referring to the deadly incursion in southern Israel by Hamas, the group that rules Gaza.

“But the average Israeli today is not prepared or willing to distinguish between Palestinian terrorists and terrorised Palestinians,” he added, alluding to reports of a rise in settler attacks since October 7.

“It’s an all-out war between two peoples,” said Ascherman outside the village of Taybeh, near Ramallah as farmers whacked olives weeping with oil onto pinstripe tarpaulins skirting the tree trunks.

“Nobody at this point is willing to help Palestinians, out of our pain and our anger.”

Nearby his comrades – even if they are only a handful – prove him wrong. They are posted as lookouts, prepared to face off with settlers who may descend at any moment to harass and fight the farmers.

“Over the 28 years I’ve been doing this, I generally did not see myself as marginalised,” said Ascherman, who has long campaigned against settler violence in the West Bank.

“There were always a significant number of Israelis who at least passively supported and agreed with what we were doing,” he said. “Today, that’s evaporated. There’s almost no support.”

A Palestinian man shakes an olive tree during the harvest season at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Before October 7, there were an average of three incidents of settler violence per day, according to the UN, but since the outbreak of the Gaza war, it has risen to seven. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian man shakes an olive tree during the harvest season at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

In late October, a farmer 14km (8.7 miles) north of Taybeh was killed by settlers while tending his olive trees, according to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian man picks olives from a tree during the harvest season at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

'Since the war has begun there has been a growing number of incidents in which violent settlers have been documented attacking nearby Palestinian communities while wearing military uniform and using government-issued weapons,' B'Tselem said. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian man cooks for his family during the olive harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

'Our fear over the settlers has doubled since October 7,' said 63-year-old Palestinian Sameer Abedalkareem, his family working on trees in the nearby village of Dura al-Qaraa. 'We haven't been able to go to our land, because settlers and the Israeli army shoot towards us.' [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian man stands by a fire before cooking for his family during the olive harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

The sprawling vistas of gnarled olive trees planted in the ochre earth of the occupied West Bank have been the site of clashes between farmers and encroaching settlers for decades, with the disputes hinging on access to land. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian woman picks leaves off of freshly-picked olives during the harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

For Palestinians, the hardy olive, which thrives in tough conditions and can live for hundreds of years, is a symbol of their rootedness in the territory, where an estimated 10 million olive trees grow. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian woman shakes olives to filter off leaves during the olive harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

But this year's harvest coincided with the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 'Before, the olive-picking month was like a festival, but today it's nothing like that,' said Abedalkareem's wife, 60-year-old Suad Mahmoud. 'Olives are very important to us, and without them we couldn't live,' she said. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian man lights a fire to cook for his family during the olive harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

In the West Bank, more than 180 Palestinians have been killed in settler attacks or increasing army raids, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Ministry of Health. [Aris Messinis/AFP]

A Palestinian woman and man collect olives during the harvest season at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

The UN says in almost half of settler incidents since October 7 'Israeli forces accompanied or actively supported the attackers'. [Aris Messinis/ AFP]

A Palestinian man holds a handful of freshly-picked olives with leaves and branches during the harvest at a grove outside Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

'From our perspective, it's like the settlers are trying to open another front,' said Dani Brodsky, Rabbis for Human Rights's director for the occupied Palestinian territories. 'We pray for peace and we hope things will get better and we're willing to put the work in,' he said, wearing a padded lacrosse glove to soften blows he may take if settlers show up. [Aris Messinis/AFP]