{"id":2822,"date":"2026-10-17T11:03:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T06:03:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2822"},"modified":"2026-10-17T11:03:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T06:03:53","slug":"israeli-settlers-burn-olive-trees-injure-journalist-in-west-bank-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=2822","title":{"rendered":"Israeli settlers burn olive trees, injure journalist in West Bank attack"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Clad in black and their faces masked, dozens of militant Israeli settlers burned olive trees \u200band threw rocks at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on Friday on a village\u2019s harvest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that injured at least two people, including a journalist.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some 80 settlers, \u200csome of them carrying gas canisters, descended from a hill above a terraced olive grove where villagers from Abu Falah had gathered to pick ripe fruit, a cherished annual tradition in Palestinian life, Reuters witnesses said.<\/p>\n

The settlers took positions in front of the terraced lanes of olive trees. Some of them used slings to launch rocks towards Palestinian villagers, who descended towards the bottom of the hill before picking up and throwing stones to defend themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe settlers want to attack us and force us from our \u200bhomes,\u201d said Moutaz Abdelhadi, 42, a farmer who witnessed the attack in Abu Falah.<\/p>\n

Partway through the attack, at least two Israeli military jeeps sped through the area, kicking up dust as villagers ran \u200bout of their way.<\/p>\n

The attack continued after the military\u2019s arrival, with Israeli soldiers firing tear gas in the direction of the Palestinians who had dodged the jeeps. The \u2060sound of live gunfire could be heard in the area, and a Reuters photographer saw at least one armed settler fire a gun.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Israeli military said soldiers and border police fired what it \u200bdescribed as warning shots after deploying to the area and at one point fired towards a person whom the troops believed had posed a threat.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area,\u201d the military said. \u201cAttacks \u200band violence against innocent civilians are grave and unacceptable,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Washington Post journalist injured<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Palestinian medics said two people were injured and taken to hospitals in the area of Ramallah.<\/p>\n

One of them was Heidi Levine, an American photojournalist with the Washington Post.<\/p>\n

Video of the attack showed Levine lying on her side on a dirt path with her hands over her face as at least three settlers surrounded her.<\/p>\n

Speaking from a hospital bed later, Levine, who is in stable condition, said: \u201cI was attacked, pushed to \u200bthe ground.<\/p>\n

Luckily I had my flak jacket and helmet; otherwise I probably wouldn\u2019t even be here, because they just kept kicking me and kicking me.\u201c<\/p>\n

Levine said the attack ended when her Palestinian colleagues intervened, after which \u200bmedics rushed her in an ambulance to a clinic in Abu Falah and then to a hospital in Ramallah.<\/p>\n

Her voice shook as she spoke, and she had bandages over her left hand.<\/p>\n

The Washington Post later reported she suffered lacerations across \u200cher body and \u2060a broken rib, and would need surgery on one hand after a finger was ripped open, exposing bone.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Matt Murray, the Washington Post\u2019s executive editor, called for an investigation into the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis morning, a Washington Post photographer, Heidi Levine, was attacked by Israeli settlers while reporting in the West Bank,\u201d Murray said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was wearing visible markings clearly identifying her as a journalist.<\/p>\n

While we are relieved that Heidi has received medical care and is safe, we are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities.\u201c<\/p>\n

The US State Department said it condemned criminal violence by any party in the West Bank \u200band supported holding the perpetrators accountable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of State \u200bis aware of these reports. We are greatly \u2060concerned when any American is harmed overseas and stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance,\u201d a department spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

The department has reached out to the Washington Post to offer consular assistance, he added.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Settler violence has surged in West Bank<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has surged, with at least 170 attacks \u200bsince September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlements monitoring group.<\/p>\n

The settlers have been emboldened by the \u200bright-wing government of Prime Minister \u2060Benjamin Netanyahu, who has overseen a rapid expansion of settlements and smaller outposts across the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu has criticised the violence but has taken few steps to crack down on incidents that have drawn international condemnation and sanction plans by longtime Israeli allies, including Britain.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Netanyahu\u2019s office said the incident was under investigation.<\/p>\n

The West Bank is home to some 500,000 settlers and at least 3 million Palestinians.<\/p>\n

UN bodies and most countries deem the settlements illegal under international \u2060law regarding \u200bmilitary occupations. Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.<\/p>\n

The Abu Falah attack followed a similar attack on Friday \u200bmorning in the area of Turmus Ayya village, where settlers burned three cars after attacking a group of farmers harvesting olives. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Salah Abu Niswa, who witnessed the attack in Turmus Ayya, said the settlers \u201csnuck up like \u200bthieves; they caught someone by himself and began to beat him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clad in black and their faces masked, dozens of militant Israeli settlers burned olive trees \u200band threw rocks at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on Friday on a village\u2019s harvest in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that injured at least two people, including a journalist. Some 80 settlers, \u200csome of them carrying gas canisters, descended from a hill above a terraced olive grove where villagers from Abu Falah had gathered to pick ripe fruit, a cherished annual tradition in Palestinian life, Reuters witnesses said. The settlers took positions in front of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}