OPT: Raid and vandalisation of UAWC offices
On 1 December 2025, Israeli occupation forces carried out coordinated military raids on the offices of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in Ramallah and Hebron in the Occupied West Bank. During these raids, soldiers reportedly destroyed the UAWC’s office infrastructure, seized documents and equipment, physically assaulted staff and detained eight individuals who were present on the premises.
The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) is a Palestinian civil society organisation, established in 1986 and licensed under Palestinian law. It plays a central role in strengthening the resilience and defending the rights of Palestinian farmers. Working within a human rights–based framework, the UAWC provides essential agricultural, developmental, and humanitarian assistance to farmers and rural communities, including those facing settler violence, land confiscation, and the risk of forced displacement. In 2021, the UAWC was designated—alongside five other leading Palestinian civil society organisations—as a “terrorist” organisation by Israeli authorities under legislation with vague and overly broad definitions of terrorism. This decision is widely recognised as part of a broader effort to criminalise Palestinian civil society and impose further restrictions on human rights work. The organisation has long been subjected to incitement by settler groups and has recently faced intensified harassment due to its support for Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season.
On 1 December 2025, Israeli occupation forces carried out coordinated military raids on the offices of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) in Ramallah and Hebron in the Occupied West Bank. During these raids, soldiers reportedly destroyed the UAWC’s office infrastructure, seized documents and equipment, physically assaulted staff and detained eight individuals who were present on the premises.
The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) is a Palestinian civil society organisation, established in 1986 and licensed under Palestinian law. It plays a central role in strengthening the resilience and defending the rights of Palestinian farmers. Working within a human rights–based framework, the UAWC provides essential agricultural, developmental, and humanitarian assistance to farmers and rural communities, including those facing settler violence, land confiscation, and the risk of forced displacement. In 2021, the UAWC was designated—alongside five other leading Palestinian civil society organisations—as a “terrorist” organisation by Israeli authorities under legislation with vague and overly broad definitions of terrorism. This decision is widely recognised as part of a broader effort to criminalise Palestinian civil society and impose further restrictions on human rights work. The organisation has long been subjected to incitement by settler groups and has recently faced intensified harassment due to its support for Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season.
On the morning of 1 December 2025 in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli forces closed surrounding roads, forcibly entered the UAWC offices during working hours, and destroyed equipment, seized documents and computers, and physically assaulted staff. Those present were reportedly blindfolded, handcuffed, and forced to the floor for hours before being detained. Eight individuals present at the time of the raid remain in detention. When civilians attempted to approach the Ramallah office to peacefully break the siege, soldiers responded with live ammunition and tear gas, turning the area into a hostile zone and violating the protections afforded to civilian institutions under international humanitarian law.
The raid took place amidst the most violent olive harvest season on record, with 167 settler attacks affecting 87 communities, reported and a growing pattern of arrests, assaults, and intimidation targeting human rights defenders and human rights organisations assisting farmers. Since 1 October 2025, at least 81 violations against defenders and protective presence volunteers have been documented.
Front Line Defenders condemns the attack on the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, including the raid on its offices. Front Line Defenders remains deeply concerned for the safety of the organisation and believes these actions were carried out in retaliation for the UAWC’s peaceful and legitimate human rights work supporting Palestinian farmers and defending their rights in the face of escalating settler and military violence.
Front Line Defenders calls on the Israeli authorities to:
- Return all seized materials and ensure accountability for the destruction of the UAWC offices;
- Cease attacks, raids, and restrictions imposed on Palestinian human rights organisations and ensure that they can carry out their legitimate humanitarian and developmental work without fear of reprisals;
- End acts of violence, harassment, and incitement by Israeli settlers and armed units against Palestinian human rights defenders.
