Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers harvesting olives in Abu Falah, a village in the occupied West Bank, on Friday, burning trees and throwing rocks. At least two people were injured, including a photojournalist working for the Washington Post.
Around 80 settlers, some carrying gas canisters, came down from a hill above a terraced grove where villagers had gathered to pick ripe fruit. Witnesses said the harvest is a cherished annual tradition in Palestinian life.
Settlers and villagers clash in the olive grove
Dressed in black with their faces masked, the settlers took positions in front of the terraced rows of trees. Some used slings to hurl rocks at villagers, who moved down the slope and threw stones back to defend themselves.
Moutaz Abdelhadi, 42, a farmer who witnessed the attack, said: “The settlers want to attack us and force us from our homes.”
Partway through the confrontation, at least two Israeli military jeeps sped through the area, kicking up dust as villagers scrambled out of their path.
Troops fire tear gas as a journalist is hurt
The violence continued after the military arrived. Israeli soldiers fired tear gas toward Palestinians who had dodged the jeeps, and live gunfire could be heard in the area. A photographer at the scene saw at least one armed settler fire a gun.
Palestinian medics said two people were hurt and taken to hospitals in the Ramallah area. One was Heidi Levine, a photojournalist with the Washington Post. Video showed her lying on a dirt path, her hands over her face, as at least three settlers surrounded her.
Speaking from a hospital bed, Levine, who is in stable condition, described being pushed to the ground and kicked. She said her flak jacket and helmet had protected her, and that the attack ended when her Palestinian colleagues intervened. Medics then took her by ambulance to a clinic in Abu Falah and on to a hospital in Ramallah.
The Washington Post and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rising settler violence and the Netanyahu government’s response
Yesh Din, an Israeli group that monitors settlements, has counted at least 170 settler attacks on Palestinians since September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest. The group’s figures show a sharp rise in such incidents.
The settlers have been emboldened by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has overseen rapid expansion of settlements and smaller outposts across the West Bank. Netanyahu has criticized the violence but has taken few steps to crack down on it, despite international condemnation and plans for sanctions by longtime Israeli allies, including Britain.
The West Bank is home to some 500,000 settlers and at least 3 million Palestinians. UN bodies and most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law governing military occupations. Israel rejects this view, describing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.
Earlier on Friday, settlers burned three cars in the Turmus Ayya area after attacking a group of farmers harvesting olives. Salah Abu Niswa, who witnessed that attack, said the settlers “snuck up like thieves, they caught someone by himself and began to beat him.” The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
