The settlers are taking advantage of the Gaza war and stepping up their efforts to violently chase away entire communities in Area C of the occupied West Bank.
The olive harvest is threatened even more than in previous years, as Palestinians are afraid of going out to their groves under the present circumstances. In the occupied territories, near Taibe, settlers have attacked the Palestinian olive growers a few days ago, and they are now fearful of going out without the protection of Israeli activists.
Rather than picking olives, the four of us activists were assigned to keep a watch, looking out in the direction of the surrounding outposts, and warn the others if we saw any settlers approaching. Before the war, and before current settler government, the army or police might actually come if we called to say there was a threat of violence. Now they most likely would not.
Two of us climbed on top of an old guard post, what Israelis call a 'shomriya' (an appropriation of Palestinian structures into Israeli lore?) that was not much more than a heap of stones. Here we had a good view of the hills - but then we realized that we too were clearly visible from afar, and so climbed back down.
To be on the lookout for settlers reminded me of my night watch shift while trekking in East Greenland, where we had to take turns looking out for polar bears during the arctic nights. Secretly, I wished I would spot that magnificent (but dangerous) animal! But here, I definitely did not want to see any settlers.
Three teams of foreign media came to document the olive harvest and our presence during the morning. They were probably hoping for 'action' - we, and the Palestinians farmers, were glad today it was quiet, and the settlers did not show up.
