Settler violence a part of daily life for many Palestinians in the occupied West Bank

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In the small village of Jamma’in in the occupied West Bank, Mohammed Awad and his brothers harvest olives. Or at least they did until Monday.

The 33-year-old Palestinian man says he was out in the field with other farmers when a group of masked Israeli settlers approached them and began hitting them with sticks and throwing stones. Awad has 15 stitches in his head and he was sprayed in the face with pepper spray.

In another house in Jamm’in, a father and two of his sons rest in the family’s living room. Their heads are all wrapped in bandages and there are welts on their backs. The 23-year-old son has a broken leg while the 11-year-old has bandages around his fingers.

When asked what he thinks of an adult attacking a child, the young boy’s father shakes his head.

“Can you imagine?” he asks. “I am speechless.”

The olive harvest began this week in the West Bank, a way for many Palestinians to earn money or supplement their income. But harvesting the olives is becoming even more challenging and dangerous.

Locals returned to the farm the day after the attack but were quickly warned by the Israeli Defense Forces to leave as settlers were seen approaching. They say their harvesting equipment was set on fire.

The war in Gaza has caused tensions to flare across the region and especially in the West Bank, where Israel has ramped up its military activities. There have been sweeping restrictions on movement and repeated raids in cities.

Last week a strike in Tulkarem killed at least 18 people, including an entire family. The United Nations called the strike “unlawful,” but Israel says at least 12 of the dead were Hamas operatives, including a local leader it says was planning an attack on the anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023.

There has also been a sharp increase in violence carried out by Israeli settlers, who are accused of unpredictable harassment and intimidation. More than 500,000 people live in Israeli settlements, which are considered legal under international law. Only a small number are involved in attacks on Palestinians, but experts say they are rarely arrested or prosecuted.

Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over territories it seized during the 1967 war, which includes the West Bank. In July, Ottawa criticized Israel’s decision to build more settlements in the West Bank.

“Canada firmly opposes the government of Israel’s decision to approve new settlements in the West Bank,” said a statement from Global Affairs. “Unilateral actions, such as financially weakening the Palestinian Authority and expanding settlements is in contravention of international law.”

In a landmark ruling in July, the UN’s top court said Israel’s settlements violated international law and called on the government to cease all new settlement activity. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the International Court of Justice, saying “the Jewish people are not conquerors in their own land,” referring to Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In the last few years, the number of settlements has grown and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, himself a settler, has announced new plans to expand settlements in the occupied territory.

Those who support settlements say they improve the security of Israel and act as a buffer zone. Critics say they undermine the viability of a two-state solution and threaten peace.

For Mohammed Awad, he says he feels like a prisoner in his own land. He says he wants to live in peace and be safe but says right now “there’s no way.”