{"id":103539,"date":"2026-10-16T12:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=103539"},"modified":"2026-10-16T12:46:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T12:46:00","slug":"arab-news-israeli-settlers-injure-washington-post-journalist-in-west-bank-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=103539","title":{"rendered":"Arab News | Israeli settlers injure Washington Post journalist in West Bank attack"},"content":{"rendered":"


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WEST BANK: Clad in black and their faces masked, dozens of militant Israeli settlers burned olive trees and threw rocks at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on Friday on a West Bank village\u2019s annual harvest \u200bthat injured at least two people including a Washington Post journalist.<\/p>\n

Some 80 settlers, some 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 toward Palestinian villagers, who descended toward 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 homes,\u201d said Moutaz Abdelhadi, 42, a farmer who witnessed \u200cthe attack in Abu \u200cFalah.<\/p>\n

Partway through the attack, at least two Israeli military jeeps sped through \u200bthe \u200carea, \u2060kicking \u200bup dust \u2060as villagers ran out 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 sound of live gunfire could be heard in the area, and a Reuters photographer saw at least one armed settler fire a gun.<\/p>\n

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udea8 NOW: Settler terror attack on Abu Falah in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

American journalist Heidi Levine was beaten by the settlers, many Palestinian were injured, one shot by the IDF.<\/p>\n

The army allowed the settler attack, and tear gassed and assaulted the Palestinians. https:\/\/t.co\/qAZxZf5h6g<\/p>\n

\u2014 Andrey X (@the_andrey_x) October 16, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Palestinian medics said two people were injured and taken to hospitals in the area of Ramallah. One of them was Heidi Levine, a photojournalist with the Washington Post. Video of \u2060the attack showed Levine lying on her side on a dirt path with \u200cher hands over her face as at least three settlers \u200csurrounded her.<\/p>\n

Speaking from a hospital bed later, Levine, who is in \u200bstable condition, said: \u201cI was attacked, pushed to the \u200cground. Luckily I had my flak jacket and helmet, otherwise I probably wouldn\u2019t even be here, because they \u200cjust kept kicking me and kicking me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

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

The Washington Post did not immediately respond to a request for \u200ccomment.<\/p>\n

SETTLER VIOLENCE HAS SURGED IN WEST BANK<\/p>\n

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has surged, with at least 170 attacks since September \u206027, around the start \u2060of the annual olive harvest, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlements monitoring group.<\/p>\n

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

Netanyahu has criticized 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

The West Bank is home to some 500,000 settlers and at least 3 million Palestinians. UN bodies and most countries deem the settlements illegal under international law regarding military occupations. Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.<\/p>\n

The Abu Falah attack followed a similar attack on Friday morning 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 \u200brespond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Salah Abu Niswa, \u200bwho witnessed the attack in Turmus Ayya, said the settlers \u201csnuck up like thieves, they caught someone by himself and began to beat him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n