Israeli Army Restricts Palestinian Farmers' Access to West Bank Land

The Israeli army has restricted Palestinian farmers from reaching their land near settlements in the occupied West Bank since October 2023. Families say the limits allow only a few hours of access per month, which is often insufficient to maintain crops or secure a harvest.

Amal Slaibi, 58, from Beit Ummar north of Hebron, said Israeli bulldozers uprooted her family's seven-dunam grape orchard last November. The army ordered the family to stay at least 500 metres from the site, citing proximity to the settlement of Karmei Tzur.

The orchard had supplied the 12-member household with roughly 10,000 shekels ($3,300) each May and June.

The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture stated in January that damage to greenhouses, machinery, and roads reached $2.57 million in 2025, while overall direct losses exceeded $103 million. The ministry said restricted access disrupted production, marketing, and agricultural supply chains.

Jihad Nawajah of Susya in Masafer Yatta lost livestock to settler attacks in 2010 and later started beekeeping. Settlers destroyed 100 of his hives in 2016, causing losses of about 200,000 shekels ($67,000). He moved remaining hives closer to his home and said the activity now provides steadier income than livestock.

The World Food Programme reported that poverty in the West Bank rose from 12 percent before October 2023 to 28 percent by the end of 2025. About 78 percent of surveyed households reported lower incomes, and more than 60 percent said they could not cover basic monthly expenses.

Economist Nasr Abdel Karim told Al Jazeera that more than 20 percent of farming activity has declined due to access limits and higher transport costs. The United Nations recorded a 30 percent unemployment rate in the West Bank during the first quarter of 2026.