Olive harvest opens under settler assault across the West Bank

Settler attacks spread across the occupied West Bank as Palestinians began the olive harvest, with farmers beaten, trees burned and crops stolen.

• Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters across the West Bank this week, beating farmers, burning trees and stealing crops as the picking season opened.
• Two Palestinians — Mashhour Yassin, 51, and Bahaa al-Natsheh, 19 — were shot dead in separate incidents involving settlers and Israeli forces on October 1 and 2.
• The UN humanitarian office said aid groups are supplying West Bank farmers with harvest equipment after residents began picking early to cut losses.
• Settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers from Marda and Jamma'in, injuring two brothers who were taken to hospital, and stole the harvested olives.