In the weeks prior to this event, the owners were banned from working the land and harvest the olive trees without being escorted by the occupation forces. Attacks on agricultural land are a common occurrence in the start of the olive harvest season, with many town witnessing their crops being stolen, olive trees cut or lands confiscated. [4]

Cases where Palestinian farmers are killed are also frequently reported. On November 30, 2017 a Palestinian farmer was shot and killed after an altercation with settlers while caring for his olive groves, in the village of Qusra, with his six-year-old son. His nephew was killed in 2011 by an Israeli soldier after attempting to stop settlers from uprooting his olive trees. [8]

On June 15, 2015, Israeli military tractors destroyed around a thousand olive and almond trees in Wadi Fukin belonging to Palestinian farmers, stating that they were illegally planted on state land. With this operation considered to be the largest of its kind to happen since 2012. The authorities said the operation was law enforcement, while Palestinian leaders doubted the legality of this move stating that it violated international law on the destruction of the property on occupied territory, namely the Paris Protocols, The Hague and Geneva Conventions and the Covenant on Economics, Social and Cultural Rights. [5][6]

In fact, during the last few years, Israeli settlers systematically destroyed Palestinian olive trees as a tool to push back Palestinian farmers from their land. Olive and olive oil are key products of the Palestinian national economy, making up 25% of the total agricultural production in the West Bank. Around 10,000 olive trees are planted yearly in the West Bank every year and Olive oil is the second major export product for Palestine. [6]

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in Palestine since 1967. In fact, for the last 40 years between 800,000 and a million olive trees as well as thousands of fruit trees gave been destroyed in Palestinian lands in order to facilitate the building of illegal settlements and their infrastructures. This has caused extensive losses to Palestinian farmers, as well as other restrictions to which they are subjected like curfews, security closures and settler attacks leading to difficulties in harvesting. [1][2][6] None of the complaints that where filed in the past years resulted in any indictment. [6]

"Today, there are campaigns all around the world to end the uprooting of trees in Palestine and to replant those that have already been uprooted. And each year, when the Palestinian olive harvest approaches, international volunteers join Palestinians to provide some human protection from the acts of violence visited on Palestinian farmers by Israeli settlers and soldiers who want to stop the harvesting of crops." [7]

In the face of constant destruction and uprooting of trees, the major way of resistance is to replant olive trees. Many campaigns were created in order to do so. The Million Trees campaign by the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature: "Replanting tree seedlings on damaged lands and supporting Palestinian farmers in maintaining ownership of their land are the main goals of the MTC Campaign which has carried out projects since 2001 in conjunction with Palestinian agricultural unions and CSOs with financial support from donors." [9]

According to Visualizing Palestine, as of October 2013, more than 800,000 trees were uprooted, with $12.3 million lost each year by the 80,000 families depending on olive harvest. [2]