Masked settlers attack Palestinian olive harvesters in West Bank, injuring 12 Palestinians and a Washington Post photojournalist

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the village of Abu Falah near Ramallah, injuring several people including Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine.

The assault unfolded during the annual olive harvest. Settler violence against Palestinian farmers has escalated sharply across the occupied West Bank. The United Nations says the past two weeks alone have produced more settler attacks than during the entire harvest season last year, as armed Israelis from illegal settlements have repeatedly targeted olive pickers, burned groves, and driven families from their land.

Settlers descend on Abu Falah

Witnesses described a coordinated assault. Dozens of masked settlers, one source putting the number at approximately 80, charged at Palestinians armed with clubs. More settlers carrying machineguns arrived. A photographer saw at least one armed settler fire a gun, Reuters reported. The attackers used slingshots and threw stones. They set fire to olive trees. Settlers also burned vehicles during attacks in the area. A local official said 12 Palestinians were injured, including four dual Palestinian American citizens. Majdi Fheed, an American citizen, was attacked with nail-studded sticks and needed treatment for deep wounds on his head. His elderly mother was also injured. Amin Khalil, a landowner, said his land was surrounded by seven Jewish settlements and outposts.

Israeli forces arrived and fired tear gas in the direction of Palestinians. A Palestinian man was shot in the leg, according to a witness who attributed the shooting to Israeli soldiers. “They do nothing to stop the settlers, and they speed into town and start firing their guns and tear-gassing, and they shoot a Palestinian man in the leg,” said Jasper Nathaniel, an independent journalist at the scene. According to the BBC, the Israel Defense Forces said personnel had been despatched to the area following a report of a violent confrontation and that all circumstances would be examined.

Journalist beaten on assignment

Levine is 64 years old. She was wearing a protective vest marked “PRESS” on the front and back along with a helmet when the settlers set upon her. Her cameras and phone were taken. Independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel witnessed the attack. He described seeing Levine on the ground surrounded by people beating her, clubbing her, and robbing her. When settlers briefly backed away, Nathaniel and others reached her, but she struggled to stand. “She was in very, very bad shape. She couldn’t really get up off the ground,” he said. Settlers then charged again. Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray condemned the attack. “We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities,” he said. Levine told the BBC she was on the ground and settlers were kicking her as she tried to hold onto her camera and bag. “They made me stand up and they kicked me again, and this went on for at least 10 minutes,” she said.

Harvest under siege

The violence extended well beyond Abu Falah. In Turmus Aya, settlers assaulted farmers and burned vehicles and olive trees. A civil defence volunteer was injured there, according to Wafa. In Burqa, east of Ramallah, four Palestinians were injured in a separate settler attack on olive pickers. On October 7, Ali Hassan Yasser al-Bazzari, 44, was killed during an assault on Palestinians gathering olives near Burqa, northwest of Nablus, a distinct location from the village east of Ramallah. A day earlier, on October 6, armed settlers beat AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh, 58, with rifle butts near Aqraba, south of Nablus, Al Jazeera reported. The Israeli rights group Yesh Din has recorded at least 170 pogroms since September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest, Reuters reported. The BBC, citing the UN, says settler attacks this year have killed one Palestinian and injured more than 120 others across the West Bank. ACLED, an independent conflict-monitoring organization, said settler violence has reached record levels. Nathaniel described the situation as being “at or near an all-time high right now.”

A US State Department spokesperson said they were aware of the reports and condemned criminal violence by any party in the West Bank. The UK and France announced sanctions targeting the purchase of goods from illegal settlements. Amnesty International said Israel had signed at least 15 land confiscation orders covering approximately 200 dunams of Palestinian land in Jenin. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.