Civil society call for the urgent release of La Via Campesina’s members in Palestine

We firmly condemn the raid conducted by the Israeli occupation forces on 1st December 2025 in the offices of La Via Campesina’s (LVC) member organisation in Ramallah and Hebron. The forces detained LVC members of the organisation inside the office premises, subjecting them to harsh and humiliating treatment, while conducting violent searches throughout the building . Eight male agricultural workers who were on the premises were arrested. Two of them are still being detained. The attack was carried out in areas that are officially designated as being controlled by the Palestinian Authority, thereby highlighting the ongoing violations of international law and humanitarian protections by the genocidal state of Israel.

The raid caused destruction and confiscation of all office materials, including computers, hard drives, administrative files, financial documents, and logistical equipment. The Forces deliberately destroyed office furniture, smashed doors, and damaged equipment as part of a systematic attempt to cripple its organisational viability and crush its relation with the Palestinian farming communities. The raid targeted specifically infrastructures of the Palestinian seeds bank in Hebron, destroying seed stocks that represent their plant genetic heritage.

La Via Campesina’s member organisation operates in full accordance with international law and its primary role is to support farmers in Palestine. This attack comes amid a broader escalation across the West Bank, where Israeli forces have intensified actions against Palestinian civil society organisations and agricultural institutions. Farmers, who take care of their land,territory and seeds, have been systematically targeted in recent months by settlers and Israeli occupation forces. These attacks against a peasant organisation are aimed to destroy their food sovereignty and contribute to the genocidal enterprise against the Palestinian people. This attack is also a serious violation of Palestinian farmers' right to organise.

We reiterate the demands put forth by the LVC, and to urge governments to:

We stand in solidarity with Palestinian farmers!