PA police officer
PA police officerIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Palestinian Authority Arabs showed up at the Jewish village of Adei Ad on Monday to harvest olives – olives from trees that were planted and nurtured by local Jewish farmers. The PA group was accompanied by PA police, who stood watch as the harvesters gathered Adei Ad’s produce.

Residents of Adei Ad explained that the trees were planted years ago, and that PA Arabs recently filed a claim for ownership, arguing that an Arab family owns the land the trees were planted on. Local Jews say the claim of land ownership is false.

The trees in question are located just 100 meters from homes in the small Shomron (Samaria) community.

Residents said regional IDF commander Saar Tzur had given the PA Arab group, and the accompanying PA officers, permission to enter Adei Ad’s city limits.

“How far will this disgraceful situation go? Arabs harvest in Area C, and who protects them? Palestinian Authority soldiers – what is known in ‘PC’ as the PA police,” said Itzik Shedmi, head of the Binyamin Residents’ Council.

“This contradicts all the agreements. It contradicts basic logic. What’s next? Should we put Arab guards at the entrance to IDF bases? Or to Jewish towns?” asked Shedmi.

Jews living in Judea and Samaria have long argued that the PA uses the annual olive harvest as an excuse to bring Arabs into Jewish communities, where they launch attacks. The harvest is also used to slander Israel.

The IDF continues to allow PA Arabs into Jewish communities to take olives, despite the fact that past harvests have been used to plan horrific attacks.