Masked Settlers Attack West Bank Olive Harvest and Injure Journalist

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers in the West Bank on Friday, burning olive trees, throwing rocks, and injuring at least two people, including a Washington Post photojournalist. Around 80 settlers carrying gas canisters and wearing black descended from a hill toward an olive grove near the village of Abu Falah where villagers had gathered for their annual harvest. Some settlers used slings to throw rocks at the villagers, while others launched live gunfire and tear gas after Israeli military jeeps arrived at the scene. ## Injuries And Response Palestinian medics confirmed that two injured people were taken to hospitals in Ramallah, one of whom was photojournalist Heidi Levine. Speaking from her hospital bed in stable condition, Ms. Levine recalled being pushed to the ground and kicked repeatedly before her Palestinian colleagues intervened and saved her. Matt Murray, executive editor of The Washington Post, called the incident an unwarranted attack on a journalist and urged a thorough investigation. ## Wider Violence This incident followed a similar attack on Friday morning near Turmus Ayya village, where settlers burned three cars and beat farmers harvesting olives. According to the Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din, settler violence in the occupied West Bank has surged to at least 170 attacks since September 27. The United Nations reports that the past two weeks alone have seen more violent settler attacks than the entire harvest season last year. ## Context The West Bank is home to about 500,000 settlers and at least 3 million Palestinians, with most countries and UN bodies viewing the settlements as illegal under international law. The annual olive harvest is a crucial economic and cultural event for Palestinians, but it has increasingly become a flashpoint for clashes and settler attacks amid rapid settlement expansion.