In brief
In the early hours of Thursday, Israel’s black‑clad settlers descended a hill near an unregistered outpost in the West Bank, storming a field where Palestinians and activists gathered to harvest olives. They set dozens of trees ablaze and hurled stones from slingshots, injuring a Washington Post photographer who recalled being kicked and "jumped" on the ground. The United Nations warned these attacks represent the highest level of settler violence in the current harvest season, citing a surge in such incidents over the past fortnight. Palestinian witnesses and local activists have livestreamed the confrontation, with social media threads documenting every moment. The event underscores a growing pattern of violent skirmishes that threaten agricultural livelihoods and inflate tensions in a fragile region.
In the early hours of Thursday, Israel’s black‑clad settlers descended a hill near an unregistered outpost in the West Bank, storming a field where Palestinians and activists gathered to harvest olives.
The attackers set dozens of olive trees ablaze and hurled stones from slingshots, a tactic repeated across the region. Fellow activists reported that the settlers moved quickly, chanting slogans as they ran past protesters.
A Washington Post photographer, Heidi Levine, who was on the scene, was later taken to a local hospital. She described being kicked to the ground and told reporters, "I got jumped," before being forced out of the field by the storm of stone.
The United Nations has issued a stark warning: the past two weeks have seen more settler attacks than during the entire harvest season last year. UN officials note that the level of violence in this current season has reached an all‑time high, raising alarms about the safety of agricultural workers and the future of the olive industry.
Eyewitnesses have livestreamed the confrontation on multiple platforms, generating a global outcry and prompting calls for an independent investigation. Protesters in the area have posted video footage to social media, providing real‑time confirmation of the assault and the damage inflicted on both people and property.
The incident underscores an escalating pattern of aggressive settlement activity that threatens the livelihoods of Palestinian farmers and adds another layer of tension to the already volatile West Bank region.
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