West Bank16 October, 20262 min read
Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinians And Journalists During Olive Harvest Near Abu Falah, Ramallah
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Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and a Washington Post photographer during Abu Falah olive harvest. Dozens injured; at least 12 Palestinians and the Washington Post photographer hospitalized.
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Abu Falah assault
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and journalists in the occupied West Bank during the yearly olive harvest around the village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah, using slingshots and rocks. Heidi Levine, a veteran Washington Post photojournalist wearing a flak jacket emblazoned with the word "press", was beaten by settlers who stole her camera and phone and was taken to hospital in Ramallah after other journalists pulled briefly back. Levine told journalists in hospital, "We saw in the distance on the hilltop, I would say at least 50 masked men," and she said, "I had a 500 millimetre lens that you could see the mask with slingshots."
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the circumstances around the attacks in Abu Falah "remain unclear" and added that people on "both sides" were "hurling objects". The Israel Defense Forces said it would examine "all circumstances surrounding the incident" and stated, "the forces acted to disperse the confrontation using riot dispersal means."
Diplomats and officials
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot condemned the attack on European diplomats in the occupied West Bank and said, "As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice." Hussein al-Sheikh, Vice President of the Palestinian Authority, called on the international community to hold Israel responsible, saying, "This is a miniature model of the scale of the daily terrorism to which our Palestinian people are subjected." The Israel Defense Forces said there were no soldiers in the area at the time of the Taybeh attack and that the visit had not been coordinated with the military.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he strongly condemns "the severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters" and said the foreign ministry was in touch with the ambassadors of the countries involved. The United States condemned what it described as "criminal violence" in the occupied West Bank and a State Department official said Washington supports "appropriate investigations and accountability for those responsible."
Escalation and aftermath
In the occupied West Bank, settlers attacked olive harvesters in Turmusayya, Abu Falah, and Burqa, and the attacks included burning three vehicles and stealing a tractor and harvest. Al Jazeera reported that settlers beat and severely wounded Palestinian farmers and a Washington Post journalist, and the violence continued on the olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. Heitham Nouvait, a Palestinian-American citizen harvesting his olive crop in Burqa northeast of Ramallah, told Al Jazeera that about 50 settlers attacked him and tried to prevent them from continuing their work on their lands.
Nouvait said his head wounds required about 200 stitches, and he described five settlers pummeling him with sticks until he lost consciousness again. The Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray said, "we are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job" and urged a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities.