Dozens of masked Israeli settlers on Friday attacked Palestinians picking olives in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, seriously injuring several people, including veteran Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, 63, who was covering the harvest.
Shortly after 8 a.m., the settlers, dressed in black, descended on the village of Khirbet Abu Falah, a hamlet of fewer than 6,000 people northeast of Jerusalem, according to residents and the mayor. A New York Times team arrived around 9:30 a.m. and witnessed the attack. Armed with slingshots and batons, the settlers hurled heavy stones and set trees ablaze, sending dense smoke into the sky. At least one settler carried a firearm. Videos verified by The Times show Levine, wearing body armor and large press tags, trapped and beaten with bats and sticks while prostrate on the ground.
Israeli military forces arrived amid the attacks and fired dozens of rounds of tear gas, and the sound of live fire rang out. Medics rushed in to rescue the injured. The Palestinian Red Crescent said three Palestinians were also wounded. Doctors said Levine has a broken rib and lacerations to her legs, hip and left hand.
The Israeli military said it was examining all circumstances of the incident. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the facts remain unclear and are under investigation. Since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, settlers have intensified assaults on Palestinians, with the olive harvest a focus. Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, has documented 82 violent incidents against harvesters, 135 instances of crop theft, and 39 cases of tree damage.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing