The attack reportedly included the destruction or confiscation of essential organizational materials such as computers, hard drives, administrative and financial documents, and logistical equipment. Soldiers also intentionally damaged office infrastructure, including facilities connected to a Palestinian seed bank, destroying seed stocks that constitute part of Palestine’s plant genetic heritage.
These actions constitute a severe violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and the destruction of civilian property without military necessity contravene basic protections enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
These actions represent a severe escalation in the repression of Palestinian civil society and directly undermine the economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian farmers and communities. Attacks on agricultural organizations and seed banks strike at the heart of the right to food, the right to work and livelihood, and the right of peoples to freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources. They also threaten cultural heritage, biodiversity, and the ability of communities to sustain traditional farming practices, rights protected under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Israel is a State Party.
Forced entry, arbitrary detention, confiscation of property, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure violate multiple provisions of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including the prohibitions on arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment, and collective punishment, as well as the obligations to safeguard civilian objects and refrain from destroying property not justified by military necessity. The targeting of a seed bank, an asset fundamental to food sovereignty and future generations, raises additional grave concerns regarding Israel’s compliance with its obligations to protect cultural life, scientific progress, and the right to an adequate standard of living.
This raid must also be understood within the broader pattern of systematic attacks by Israeli occupying forces and settlers against Palestinian civil society organizations, agricultural institutions, and farming communities across the West Bank. These actions form part of an escalating strategy to dismantle the ability of Palestinians to defend their land, livelihoods, and collective rights. Efforts to silence organizations working lawfully to defend human rights and food sovereignty constitute a direct assault on civic space and are incompatible with international legal obligations.
ESCR-Net joins La Via Campesina in calling on the international community to take immediate action. We urge governments to:
- Demand the immediate and unconditional release of the eight male agricultural workers detained during the raid.
- Seek assurances that detainees are protected from ill-treatment, coercion, or intimidation, in accordance with international law.
- Call for an independent, impartial investigation into the raid, the destruction and confiscation of materials, and the treatment of those detained.
- Communicate clearly that repression against lawful civil society organizations is unacceptable and violates international human rights obligations.
We further express our solidarity with La Via Campesina and with all Palestinian farmers, workers, and communities defending their land, their heritage, and their right to live in dignity. ESCR-Net stands with our members and allies in Palestine and reaffirms our collective commitment to defending human rights, confronting systemic violence, and advancing social justice worldwide.
