Key facts
- Former Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven said the group numbers around 30 senior military officials, including six generals.
- Israeli rights group Yesh Din reported 180 physical attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters in the 35 days since the season began.
- Yesh Din said the Israeli military was present in more than 23% of the settler violence cases it recorded.
- Landowner Nimr Nazzal said settler attacks would otherwise have kept him from reaching his olives.
- The Israeli military said it condemns violence and operates to maintain security in the West Bank.
- Former brigadier general Jonatan Yoni said settler violence creates problems for Israel in the West and the United States.
A group of about 30 senior Israeli ex-military officials, among them six generals, helped Palestinian farmers harvest olives near the West Bank village of Qusra on November 3, in what participants described as a gesture of solidarity during a rise in settler violence.
Former Major General Eyal Ben-Reuven said he began organizing the group several months ago after an increase in attacks by settlers that many Palestinians say the Israeli military enables. He compared the attacks to pogroms, saying images of women and children being hit reminded him of stories his parents told of Jewish suffering.
Former Colonel Doron Meinert said the occupation was the main problem of Israeli society and that it had to be addressed together with the Palestinians. Former brigadier general Jonatan Yoni said settler violence was creating problems for Israel in the West and the United States, and that he was also motivated by the plight of Palestinian farmers and opposition to Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
Nimr Nazzal, who owns land near Qusra, said he could not otherwise have reached his olives because of settler attacks, and said the army protects the settlers. The Israeli military has said it condemns violence and operates to maintain security in the West Bank, and has denied that it responds late or comes to the aid of settlers. It has also said it is the people's army and reflects the full spectrum of views in Israeli society.
The Israeli rights group Yesh Din reported 180 physical attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters over the 35 days since the season began, and said the Israeli military was present in more than 23% of the settler violence cases it recorded. The West Bank is home to some 500,000 settlers and at least 3 million Palestinians; UN bodies and most countries deem the settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.