In brief
In Qusra, West Bank, a team of former Israeli generals helped Palestinian farmers harvest olives while denouncing militant settler violence. The ex‑generals, led by Major General Eyal Ben‑Reuven, decried the attacks as pogroms and urged the Israeli army to stop protecting settlers. They highlighted the growing security risk and Israel’s global reputation amid the violence.
On Tuesday, former Israeli generals helped Palestinian farmers harvest olives in Qusra, a village in the West Bank, as settler attacks against Palestinians surged.
The group, organized by former Major General Eyal Ben‑Reuven, comprised about 30 senior military officials, including six retirees, who began mobilizing after reports that the Israeli army was protecting settler aggressors.
When I see what is going on here, when I see these guys come… and hit women and kids, it reminds me of stories from my parents from the time when the Jewish people suffered, Ben‑Reuven said, comparing the settler assaults to pogroms.
Former Colonel Doron Meinert also spoke, stating, Occupation is the main problem of Israeli society. I believe we must deal with it, we cannot ignore it. We must try to solve it together with the Palestinians.
Jonatan Yoni, a former brigadier general, added that the violence was “strategically, tactically, creating problems for the state of Israel in the West and the United States.”
Settler‑protection claims are echoed by Nimr Nazzal, the owner of olive land near Qusra, who said, The army is protecting the settlers, noting that without the military’s support his crops would be inaccessible because of repeated attacks.
Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, reports 180 physical attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters in the 35 days since the season began, with the Israeli military present in more than 23% of the recorded cases.
The Israeli army maintains that it condemns violence and operates to maintain security in the West Bank, but Palestinian observers say calls for assistance often arrive late or are directed toward the attackers, a point the army denies.
Through their olive‑harvesting effort, the former generals hoped to display solidarity with Palestinian farmers, counter the surge in violence, and draw attention to the broader occupation dispute that “cannot be ignored,” they argued.
