Settlers attack farmers and a Washington Post journalist during the olive harvest near Ramallah

Ramallah - Ofoq News - Today, Friday, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers who were picking olives in the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. They set fire to the olive trees and threw stones at citizens and journalists. They also beat up veteran photojournalist at the Washington Post, Heidi Levin, and stole her cameras and phone, amid eyewitnesses accusing the occupation forces of failing to stop the attacks.

The Washington Post reported that Levine, who was wearing a protective vest with the word “press” clearly written on both sides, was thrown to the ground and kicked repeatedly, and her cameras and phone were seized, before she was transferred to a hospital in the Ramallah area to receive treatment.

Eyewitnesses said that dozens of settlers, who wore black clothes and hid their faces, descended from a settlement located on top of a hill near the village of Abu Falah, where Palestinian families were collecting the olive crop, and launched a coordinated attack that included burning trees and throwing stones at citizens using slingshots, while video recordings showed details of the attacks.

The witnesses added that the settlers chased a group of journalists for a distance of about 80 yards, or approximately 73 meters, away from the site of the attack.

The newspaper quoted Levin as saying that she was surprised by a group of attackers who assaulted her and threw her to the ground, while a video recording taken by another journalist showed that she was repeatedly beaten while she was on the ground.

Levin told reporters that the settlers continued to kick her repeatedly, adding that they assaulted her about 50 times.

For his part, Andrei Khrzhanovsky, a blogger who documented the attack on video, said that the settlers beat Levin with sticks, while journalists and citizens were forced to retreat under the weight of the attacks.

He added that young men from the village were able to push the settlers back, while American journalist Jasper Nathaniel arrived at Levin and helped her, along with others, to reach a safe place.

After Palestinian paramedics transported Levin from the place, the settlers renewed their attack, throwing stones at a number of journalists.

Kharzhanovsky said that the occupation forces arrived in the area before the attack, and that their presence seemed to encourage the settlers to continue their attacks.

He added that the soldiers fired tear gas bombs towards the Palestinians, without taking any action to stop the settlers.

In turn, independent journalist Oren Ziv, who witnessed the attack, said that a Palestinian was shot during the events.

Neither the Israeli occupation army nor the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an immediate response to the newspaper's requests for comment.

The Washington Post demands an investigation

For his part, Matt Murray, editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, issued a statement demanding an investigation into the assault on Levine.

Murray said that the photojournalist was attacked on Friday morning by Israeli settlers while covering the press in the West Bank, despite wearing clothes with clear signs indicating that she was a journalist.

He added that the newspaper expressed its satisfaction that Levin received treatment and ensured her safety, but expressed its anger at the attack that targeted a journalist who was doing her work, calling on the authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation and follow up on its results.

Levin has been working in photojournalism for decades, and has covered conflicts in various regions of the Middle East and Ukraine.

The attack came ten days after Agence France-Presse photojournalist Jaafar Shtayyeh was beaten with rifle butts by settlers in the village of Aqraba in the northern West Bank.

Settlers' attacks escalate during the olive season

According to the United Nations, the organization documented more than 1,600 attacks carried out by settlers between January and August, and these attacks resulted in injuries or damage to property.

The United Nations added that at least 76 Palestinians in the West Bank were killed by occupation forces or settlers since February 28.

Judicial prosecutions of settlers for these attacks are rare. In August, Israel charged a settler in the case of the murder of a Palestinian activist, in a move that the Yesh Din human rights organization said was the first accusation of its kind brought against an Israeli civilian since 2019.

On the other hand, the Benjamin Regional Settlements Council, an umbrella body for Jewish settlements in the region, held the Palestinian Authority responsible for the tension, claiming that it had organized gatherings that included “hundreds of anarchists” to confront Israelis near the Meshulash settlement.

The council claimed that they came to the area to provoke confrontations under the cover of the olive harvest season, as part of what it described as a campaign of "settler violence."

However, journalists who were at the scene of the events said that the confrontations broke out when Palestinian settlers attacked, in the context of attacks that have become increasingly frequent in the West Bank.

The olive harvest season, which is an annual tradition in the fall and a primary source of income for many Palestinian families, is witnessing an escalation in settler attacks.

Levin was with a group of journalists near the olive groves outside the village of Abu Falah at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday morning, which is the time when families usually go to pick fruit.

Khrzhanovsky, an Israeli activist and photojournalist of Russian origin who documents settler attacks under the name “Andre

He added that tension existed before the journalists arrived, as settlers burned cars in the neighboring village of Turmus Ayya, while families in Abu Falah rushed to collect olives from trees, at a time when masked men were seen gathering on the top of the hill overlooking the village.

About half an hour later, the settlers began to descend from the hill, and a group of more than 50 people stopped in the middle of the slope, set fire to several locations inside the olive groves, and began throwing stones at the pickers using slingshots, according to witnesses.

Kharzhanovsky said that young men from the village responded by throwing stones at the settlers.

Ziv explained that Israeli military vehicles passed by the place without trying to control the masked settlers, adding that this gave them confidence to continue the attack.

The settlers continued their advance towards the plain, burning more trees and throwing stones, before gunfire was heard, prompting the citizens and journalists to flee, while the settlers chased them for a distance of approximately 73 meters on the road.

She fell to the ground and was left behind the group, Levine said, adding that she was attacked and pushed to the ground.

Kharzhanovsky saw the settlers beating her with sticks from a close range, before the village youth intervened and threw stones at the attackers, forcing them to retreat, while Nathaniel quickly reached Levin and helped her move towards the village, before the paramedics transferred her to an ambulance.

As more occupation soldiers arrived, their vehicles stopped next to the settlers, who remained masked and carrying sticks and slingshots, and the soldiers fired tear gas canisters towards the Palestinians, according to witnesses.

Ziv confirmed that the occupation army did not take any action to stop settler attacks.