Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers harvesting olives on Friday morning in the village of Khirbet Abu Falah in the West Bank, seriously injuring several people, including a veteran Washington Post photographer. The incident took place around 8 a.m. in the early hours of the olive harvest, a pivotal annual event in the region.
Eyewitnesses and video evidence show that the settlers, dressed in black and armed with slingshots, batons, and at least one firearm, descended from a nearby hilltop settlement, setting olive trees on fire and throwing stones at the Palestinians. The violence forced residents to flee as smoke from burning groves filled the air.
Among those attacked was Heidi Levine, a 63-year-old Washington Post photographer wearing body armor clearly marked “PRESS.” Videos show Levine being pushed to the ground, repeatedly kicked and struck with sticks by the settlers while onlookers and other journalists watched in shock. Levine was hospitalized in Ramallah with multiple injuries, including a broken rib, lacerations, and serious damage to her left hand requiring surgery. A Palestinian man was also wounded and treated nearby.
Local residents and journalists reported that when Israeli military forces arrived at the scene, they fired tear gas and live rounds, predominantly targeting Palestinians rather than the settlers. Several witnesses said soldiers appeared to allow the settlers to continue their assault, with one journalist describing the army as doing “nothing to stop the settlers.”
Israeli military officials confirmed their arrival after receiving reports of a confrontation, stating that troops fired warning shots and aimed at a person perceived as a threat during the dispersal efforts. The military said the circumstances surrounding the photographer’s injury are under investigation. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed this, saying facts remain unclear and investigations are ongoing. Netanyahu also suggested on social media that the incident involved confrontations between “Arabs and far-left activists” and Israeli youths, warning against “demonizing” settlers.
The Binyamin Regional Council, representing nearby Jewish settlements, attributed the violence to provocations by Palestinians and activists seeking to incite confrontations during the harvest. However, journalists at the scene described a coordinated assault initiated by masked settlers against Palestinian villagers picking olives.
The incident is part of a marked increase in settler violence in the West Bank since early October. Human rights groups have documented dozens of attacks targeting Palestinians during the olive harvest, including assaults, crop theft, and arson. Israel has faced criticism for failing to adequately investigate or prosecute such violence. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem condemned the violence, calling for thorough investigations and accountability.
Local officials in Khirbet Abu Falah expressed despair over growing settler harassment. The village mayor, Nazem Saleh Shuman, described the area as becoming “unlivable” due to ongoing attacks, emphasizing the community’s deep connection to their land and harvest despite the risks.
The Washington Post and other news organizations present at the scene have called for transparent investigations into the attack on their journalist and broader settler violence in the occupied West Bank.