A Palestinian man picks olives during the harvest season near the village of Turmus Ayya, north of the city of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 12, 2026. The olive harvest starts in the West Bank in October and makes up a large component of the agricultural economy and cultural life for most Palestinians. Violence has flared in recent months in the West Bank with near-daily attacks, thefts or vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Extremist Israeli settlers have been seizing olive groves owned by Palestinians, who see the trees as a cultural symbol. Some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967, among three million Palestinians. Settlements in occupied territory are illegal under international law. The olive harvest is a major component of the West Bank's agricultural economy, rural livelihoods and cultural life. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that around 750,000 dunums are planted with olive trees in the West Bank. Olive trees make up about 45% to 48% of all agricultural land in the West Bank and Gaza, and account for roughly 70% of fruit production. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)