Israeli settlers attack West Bank olive harvest and American photojournalist

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and a photojournalist for The Washington Post across the occupied West Bank on Friday during the annual olive harvest. The Guardian and thejournal.ie both reported that settlers attacked people harvesting olives, with thejournal.ie specifying that the incident occurred in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. The Guardian reported that masked settlers armed with clubs and other weapons attacked Palestinians, while France 24 reported that about 80 settlers set fire to olive trees and threw stones. [1][2][5]

Heidi Levine, a American photojournalist for The Washington Post, was injured and hospitalised during the attack. The journal.ie reported that Heidi Levine said she was kicked, and that her camera and bag were stolen. The Guardian and irishtimes.com reported that settlers beat Heidi Levine, while Al Jazeera and France 24 reported that at least two people, including the journalist, suffered injuries. [1][2][5][6][7]

The Guardian reported that Palestinian authorities recorded settler attacks across eight villages in the West Bank, resulting in injuries to at least 20 people. According to The Guardian, settlers burned cars and olive trees in what it described as a coordinated movement to disrupt the yearly olive harvest. [1]

The West Bank is a landlocked Palestinian territory located west of the Jordan River that has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the United Nations recently demanded that Israel do more to curb settler violence against Palestinian farmers. [12][14][15]