Settlers attack West Bank olive harvest, beating Washington Post photographer
Masked Israeli settlers struck olive farmers in towns across the occupied West Bank, injuring at least six people in one village and beating a Washington Post photographer.
At a glance
- Israeli settlers attacked olive farmers across the occupied West Bank on Friday, injuring at least six people in Abu Falah near Ramallah.
- Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten for over 10 minutes; settlers stole her passport, phone, wallet and equipment.
- Yesh Din recorded at least 170 settler attacks since 27 September; four Palestinians have been killed in the past month, authorities say.
Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in towns across the occupied West Bank on Friday, injuring at least six people in one village and beating a Washington Post photographer, according to Palestinian medics, witnesses and rights groups.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least six people were hurt in Abu Falah, near Ramallah, where about 80 settlers — some carrying firearms or clubs — gathered to stop farmers from harvesting. Settlers used slingshots to hurl rocks at the farmers in view of Israeli military vehicles, and when some Palestinians picked up rocks to defend themselves, the military fired teargas in their direction.
Journalist beaten and robbed
Heidi Levine, a Washington Post photographer, was among the injured. Witnesses said settlers beat her for more than 10 minutes and stole her passport, phone, wallet and equipment. Speaking from a hospital bed in Ramallah, Levine said she was attacked and pushed to the ground, and that the assault ended when her Palestinian colleagues intervened to save her.
“Luckily, I had my flak jacket and helmet, otherwise I probably wouldn’t even be here, because they just kept kicking and kicking me,” she said. The Washington Post said Levine had been wearing visible markings that clearly identified her as a journalist.
The Israeli Foreign Press Association called the attack "the latest in a long line of violent attacks by Israeli settlers against journalists and other civilians in the occupied West Bank," adding that its repeated calls for action had been ignored by Israeli authorities.
Surge in settler violence
The attack in Abu Falah followed a similar one hours earlier near the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, where settlers burned three cars after attacking Palestinians harvesting olives. Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, says settlers have carried out at least 170 attacks since 27 September, around the start of the annual harvest. Palestinian authorities say at least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured over the past month, and thousands of trees have been damaged.
Videos shared by the rights group B’tselem showed hundreds of bags of olives being taken from Palestinians and delivered to Israeli olive presses. Activist Sarit Michaeli said settlers were stealing the olive crop on a scale "never seen before in my 22-year history of working on this issue". Photos and videos showed uprooted olive trees in Kufur Malek, outside Ramallah, where Israeli bulldozers had razed trees.
New harvest restrictions
Israel imposed new rules on the olive harvest this year, barring Palestinians from entering about 8,800 hectares (21,800 acres) of agricultural land in Area C, which is under Israeli military control and comprises most of the West Bank’s farmland, without the military’s approval. That is a 30% increase on the previous year. Peace Now says the military reduced the area Israeli citizens were prohibited from entering from about 1,070 hectares in 2025 to 680 hectares in 2026, in order to prevent settler violence.
The olive harvest is an economic lifeline for Palestinians and has grown in importance since Israel revoked work permits for many Palestinians in the West Bank after the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023.
Rights groups say settlers rarely face accountability for their violence, even when it is well documented, and enjoy the protection of the Israeli military, which they say intervenes only if Palestinians try to defend themselves. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has on occasion condemned the violence, which he attributes to about 100 settlers, but has taken few steps to stop it. Settlements have rapidly expanded across the West Bank under his rightwing government, drawing international condemnation; the UN and most countries judge settlements to be in violation of international law.
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Jerusalem said it was aware of reports of the attack and declined to comment further, citing privacy laws.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- What happened to the Washington Post photographer in the West Bank?
- Heidi Levine was beaten by Israeli settlers for more than 10 minutes while covering the olive harvest near Ramallah. Settlers stole her passport, phone, wallet and equipment, and she said her flak jacket and helmet protected her.
- How many settler attacks have there been during the olive harvest?
- Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, recorded at least 170 settler attacks since 27 September, around the start of the annual olive harvest. Palestinian authorities say at least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured in the past month.
- What new rules did Israel impose on the olive harvest?
- Israel barred Palestinians from harvesting trees in Area C, which is under Israeli military control, without military approval. The orders cover about 8,800 hectares, a 30% increase on last year, while Israeli citizens were given access to more land.
