Paradise lost: How Israel is making war on West Bank farmers

What Happened

In November, the Israeli military bulldozed a seven-dunam grape orchard belonging to the Slaibi family in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, after declaring the land too close to the illegal Karmei Tzur settlement. Soldiers ordered the family to stay 500 metres away, cutting off their primary income source. Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, the IDF has tightened access restrictions on Palestinian farmland, allowing only brief monthly windows that are insufficient for proper cultivation. In separate incidents, settlers poisoned livestock in Susya, destroying dozens of sheep, and in 2025 attempted to burn beehives that Jihad Nawajah had rebuilt after prior attacks. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture reported a ‘dangerous and unprecedented escalation’ in 2025, with direct economic losses exceeding $103m, including $2.57m in damage to greenhouses, machinery, and roads, and $154,000 in beekeeping losses.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The systematic destruction of West Bank agriculture deepens economic deprivation and food insecurity, with poverty rates doubling from 12% pre‑October 2023 to 28% by end‑2026. By severing farmers from their land, these actions accelerate de facto annexation through settlement expansion, undermining the viability of a future Palestinian state and fuelling cycles of instability. The ripple effects on supply chains, unemployment, and rural displacement threaten wider regional security, especially amid ongoing hostilities in Gaza.

Watch For

Monitor whether Israeli authorities extend or intensify land-access restrictions during upcoming harvest seasons, particularly in Beit Ummar and Masafer Yatta. Watch for further settler attacks, military demolitions, and forced displacement orders. Track updates from the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture and the WFP on food security and poverty metrics. Observe international diplomatic responses, including any new legal filings at the ICC related to settlement activity or collective punishment.