Witnesses: The Israeli Army Helped Settlers Seize Olive Groves in the West Bank

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Eyewitnesses and paramedics reported that Israeli soldiers supported settlers on Saturday who seized Palestinian olive groves as the harvest season began, resulting in several injuries in various areas of the occupied West Bank.

October is the traditional time for the start of the olive harvest for Palestinians.

This year's season comes amid escalating violence, with daily attacks and thefts committed by settlers supported by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the elections scheduled for October 27.

Near the town of Beita in the northern West Bank, Palestinians began harvesting in the morning, where they were confronted by settlers who briefly retreated after farmers and visiting activists, some of whom were Israeli, confronted them, according to eyewitnesses.

Then soldiers rushed to the site, causing farmers and activists to flee, and they arrested a number of Palestinians, including one person whose screams were heard from inside a military jeep, according to what a journalist from Agence France-Presse witnessed.

The Israeli army detained six journalists, one of whom was from Agence France-Presse, and they were released after twenty minutes without any charges being filed against them.

Farmer Mohammed Hamayel told Agence France-Presse, "Today, as usual, we went to pick olives in the land where we grew up and lived, we, our fathers, and our grandfathers."

He added that the army's goal was "to clear the area for the settlers so they can pick the olives. This is our land, and we will remain steadfast, God willing."

Agence France-Presse contacted the Israeli army for a comment.

In the village of Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at Palestinian farmers in olive groves, causing fires to break out in the dry fields, according to a reporter from Agence France-Presse. Farmers and firefighters rushed to extinguish the fires.

The Red Crescent reported that 12 Palestinians were taken to the hospital after being assaulted by settlers in five separate incidents on Saturday.

The violence came after settlers killed a Palestinian on Thursday and another on Friday, according to Palestinian officials.

The acts of violence are raising increasing international concern, and Britain recently imposed sanctions on products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.

For his part, Netanyahu expressed his anger at the criticisms and attributed the violence to a small group of settlers whom he described as "delinquent youths."

Israeli violence has also been prolonged, as a Palestinian shot and killed a settler in September.