Dozens of masked settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives Saturday

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers from an illegal outpost launched an attack on Palestinians harvesting olives in the southern West Bank on Saturday, and apparently stole a vehicle during the assault, according to footage and the military. The settlers were filmed, dressed all in black and riding on the back of a pickup truck and in a car to approach the Palestinians. Extremist settlers have for months been attacking Palestinians in the West Bank, with many assaults aimed at disrupting the ongoing olive harvest.

The IDF said in a statement on Saturday that troops and Border Police officers were dispatched to an area near the Palestinian village of Sa’ir following reports of “confrontations” between Israelis and Palestinians during an olive harvest. A Palestinian car was vandalized in the area, and the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that at least five Palestinians were injured. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms The army said the troops acted to disperse the Israeli rioters and “imposed a closed military zone order in the area to restore order,” while allowing the Palestinians to continue the harvest.

Some time later, the army said it received reports and footage showing “dozens of masked Israeli rioters arriving in vehicles in the same area,” and again dispatched troops to the scene. However, the settlers fled before the troops arrived, the military said. #شاهد | مستوطنون يعتدون على المزارعين في أراضي بلدة بيت فجار جنوب بيت لحم. pic.twitter.com/mjosOT0H9o Advertisement — شبكة فلسطين للحوار (@paldf) November 14, 2026 According to the IDF, en route to the area, the troops spotted two suspicious vehicles and opened fire into the air.

The IDF said the two cars then fled to a nearby illegal settler outpost. “An inspection found that one of the vehicles, which bore a Palestinian license plate, was apparently stolen,” the military said. The IDF said it “strongly condemns” the Israeli attackers, saying that “such incidents divert the forces’ attention, undermine stability, and harm the operational and counterterrorism activities of the security forces.” Violence was said to continue on Sunday, with WAFA reporting that settlers vandalized two vehicles in Beita, south of Nablus.

Local Palestinians told the outlet that a gang arrived early in the morning, attacked one home, and also damaged the two cars that belonged to another resident of the al-Harayeq neighborhood. Settler violence has surged in recent months, with daily attacks and harassment, and few perpetrators charged or convicted. The attacks, some of which have targeted diplomats or the press, have sparked widespread international backlash. Advertisement The rampant violence has also prompted international sanctions against Israel.

On Friday, two incidents of settler violence in which three Palestinians were reportedly injured, one of them a 67-year-old man. No arrests were made in either attack. Israeli authorities have long been accused of turning a blind eye to settler violence, and of even tacitly backing the phenomenon as part of an effort to shrink the Palestinian presence in the West Bank. Last month, President Isaac Herzog wrote to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that extremist settler violence was “a moral disgrace” and called for greater efforts to crack down on the phenomenon.

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