Ramallah- Leaving the luxurious life that he lived for years as a lawyer in California in the United States of America, Yasser Alqam lives in his town of Turmus Aya, and he used to go every year with his family and those who were hosted by their friends who sympathize with the Palestinians to his land located east of the town, to pick olives, which for him represent an integral part of his Palestinian identity, as he says in his interview with Al Jazeera Net.
But yesterday morning was not usual. Lawyer Yasser Alqam, his friend, independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel, and the solidarity activists accompanying them lived half an hour of continuous terror as they tried to save their lives from the fierce settler attacks that targeted olive pickers in the town.
Although Alqam tried to change the route to avoid a settler attack, an Israeli military vehicle (jeep) blocked their way, only to discover after it later withdrew that the area in which it was standing had hidden more than 100 settlers.
Alqam says, “The jeep suddenly withdrew from the area, and this made us suspect that there was a danger nearby, so we tried to leave, and after a distance of 100 meters, dozens of settlers suddenly began attacking us. They broke the car, damaging its windows and metal frame, in addition to assaulting people on both sides of the road.”
Meanwhile, journalist Nathaniel, who was documenting the attack, went down to help an elderly woman who had been hit on the head with intent to kill, with a stick exceeding a meter and a half long, while his friend Alqam continued on his way to rescue a Swedish solidarity activist who had been severely beaten by the settlers, which led to him sustaining fractures in his hand and foot and deep wounds in his head. The settlers also targeted Alqam’s car. With stones.
In the face of fear
The people of Turmus Ayya, located northeast of Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, which has repeatedly witnessed violent attacks by settlers since October 2023, had agreed to move collectively to pick olives from the lands adjacent to the “Shilo” settlement, in an attempt to secure themselves from organized settler attacks.
About 85% of the population of Turmus Ayya hold American citizenship, and they constantly inform the American embassy about settler attacks against them, without receiving any effective responses or serious interventions from the embassy to confront these attacks.
Alqam describes these moments by saying, “The event lasted for half an hour, but it was a terrifying period. They were very brutal. They beat anyone in their path with the intention of killing. You can see the anger in their faces. They beat to kill.”
Regarding the reason for his decision to live in the town, Alqam answered Al Jazeera Net with determination and steadfastness evident in his voice, “I left the luxurious life in California and returned to my homeland, because the homeland has a debt that we must pay, and because we have a message to remain in Turmus Aya and not leave our homes to the settlers, and we will not submit to this intimidation. I prefer to die in my home and will not emigrate.”
An activist in the popular committees in Turmus Aya, Awad Abu Samra, told Al Jazeera Net, “Settler attacks became more ferocious after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, especially from settlers who had established a modern outpost on the lands between the towns of Al Mughayir and Turmus Aya, and were taking turns attacking the two towns.”
He added that they were surprised by this ferocious attack, in which the settlers attacked the citizens with firearms, sharp tools, and gas bombs. “The settlers burned more than 7 cars in the eastern area of the town, which extends over an area of two thousand dunams, where the citizens were found on their lands picking olives,” he said.
Abu Samra confirmed that the citizens’ insistence on confronting this attack prompted the settlers to withdraw, and because of this response, the townspeople were able to return the next day to continue picking olives, without being subjected to attacks from the settlers, especially with the uproar caused by the photographic documentation of these attacks on social media.
Organized attacks
Activists launched the “Olive 25” campaign in solidarity with the Palestinians in the face of the attacks they are subjected to during the olive picking season, in which the presence of foreign solidarity figures constitutes the most important part, to support the steadfastness of Palestinian families in picking olives.
Mounir Amira, one of the campaign coordinators and a resident of Turmus Aya, said, “This targeting by the settlers is an organized act, and aims to prevent all Palestinians from reaching their lands planted with olives, in all lands, especially those classified as Area C according to the Oslo Accords.”
Amira added in his interview with Al Jazeera Net, “The story today is the story of every Palestinian who owns an olive tree on this land, and he is targeted just as people are, and this targeting is not only for the economic dimension of the olive tree, but also for the moral dimension,” stressing that there is a clear organization for these groups, whether in the timing of the attack or in its method and reasons.
He says, “They attack without any calculations, and they even appear with uncovered faces, and this raises the fears of those involved, in light of the presence of a hateful settler ready to kill,” explaining that the attacks yesterday did not spare anyone, including the Israeli activists present who believe in the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and self-determination.
Amira stressed that the targeting is not limited only to Turmus Aya, but extends to all areas where Palestinians are present to pick olives, stressing that the settlers behave in the same way as the occupation soldiers, as they unilaterally declare areas as closed military, or confiscate the keys to Palestinians’ cars, under the cover and protection of the Israeli army.
Targeting foreigners
Nearly 200 foreign solidarity activists arrived through this campaign in the West Bank this year, with the aim of being with the Palestinians and protecting them during the olive harvest, while these solidarity activists are facing a massive campaign of incitement by settlers and the Israeli army.
The Israeli army is keen to inform farmers that the condition for them to obtain coordination to harvest the olive crop on their lands is not to welcome these foreign sympathizers, “because they are the cause of the problems,” according to their claim.
Amira pointed to an extremely dangerous policy that was practiced against foreign sympathizers, as the Israeli army forced them to leave the olive fields in Burin and Huwara. Upon their arrival to their places of residence; 32 solidarity activists were arrested and deported in one day, in an attempt to impose isolation on the Palestinians in light of the attacks they face from settlers.
Amira concludes his speech in a voice mixed with oppression, “The olive season has transformed from a season in which the Palestinian family gathers, works, and produces, to a season of fear, anticipation, and anxiety. It has become a very harsh season, as the occupation has destroyed the social and economic security that surrounded this season in the past.”