Extract from ABC News
Palestinians have clashed with Israeli settlers during an olive harvest in Abu Falah near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. (Reuters: Ammar Awad)
In short:
Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians and journalists in the occupied West Bank with slingshots and rocks.
The violent attacks happened during the yearly olive harvest.
What's next?
The Israel Defense Forces says it will examine "all circumstances surrounding the incident".
Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians and journalists in the occupied West Bank, using slingshots to hurl rocks from hilltops around the village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah.
The violent attacks happened during the yearly olive harvest, which is regularly a flashpoint between the settlers and Palestinians who rely on the crop as a source of income.
Some settlers set olive trees on fire, sending smoke billowing across the area.
Olive trees were set alight during clashes in Abu Falah near Ramallah. (Reuters: Ammar Awad)
Veteran Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was among those attacked, despite wearing a flak jacket emblazoned with the word "press".
She was beaten by settlers, who stole her camera and phone, before being taken to hospital in Ramallah after other journalists rushed to her aid once the settlers had pulled briefly back from the area.
"We saw in the distance on the hilltop, I would say at least 50 masked men," Ms Levine told journalists in hospital, fighting back tears.
Journalist attacked during clashes in the West Bank. (X: @the_andrey_x)
"I had a 500 millimetre lens that you could see the mask with slingshots. And when they came running down, I was attacked, pushed to the ground.
"Luckily, I had my flak jacket and my helmet. Otherwise I probably wouldn't even be here because they just kept kicking me, and kicking me in, like, probably 50 times."
Ms Levine questioned the parents of the violent settlers, many of whom are often teenage boys or young men.
"I don't know how a parent can raise such monsters," she said.
"They are giving everyone in the country a horrible reputation.
"And unfortunately, everyone is seeing who they are. And you know what? Sadly, none of them will be prosecuted. I am sure of it."
Israel investigating incident in West Bank
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said his country condemned violence against anyone, but said the circumstances around the attacks in Abu Falah "remain unclear".
In a statement posted on X, it said "serious questions remain" and suggested 200 Palestinians had "confronted" around 40 settlers, and that people on "both sides" were "hurling objects".
Israeli soldiers amongst the olive trees following a settler attack during harvest in the West Bank. (AP: Leo Correa)
"We will not allow disputed incidents to be exploited to demonise the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria," Mr Netanyahu's office said.
"The facts must determine the conclusions. Not the headlines."
Witnesses reported seeing soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who were called to the area, fire tear gas at Palestinians in the area.
The IDF said it would examine "all circumstances surrounding the incident".
"Upon arriving at the scene, the forces acted to disperse the confrontation using riot dispersal means," the IDF said.
"At another location where the confrontation took place, IDF soldiers fired warning shots into the air and subsequently toward a suspect who ran toward them carrying a sharp object and posed a threat to them.
"The IDF strongly condemns this incident and views any manifestation of violence with utmost severity. Attempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area."
Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray issued a note to staff about the attack.
"While we are relieved that Heidi has received medical care and is safe, we are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities," he said.
"The safety of our journalists is of paramount importance for The Post, as is the right of journalists everywhere to report freely and the responsibility of authorities to protect journalists doing their work.
"We will press for an investigation and support Heidi in the wake of this shocking attack."
In a post on X, Mr Murray later lashed out at Mr Netanyahu's office at the suggestion things remained "unclear".
"To be clear: some facts are neither in dispute nor unclear," the post read.
"Our photographer was clearly marked as Press. She was clearly beaten. These are not partisan or risible statements, but indisputable. We urge a thorough investigation and accountability," he said.
It came a week after settlers attacked a photographer from AFP in the West Bank.
While attacks by settlers on foreigners, particularly journalists, often get attention due to the fact they happen with media witnesses, Palestinians argue they bear the brunt of the violence on a daily basis.
Humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations, have reported a surge in settler violence since October 2023, emboldened by the decisions and policies of the right-wing Netanyahu Government, which includes settlers in its ministerial ranks.
Israeli organisation Yesh Din said there had been 170 attacks since late September when the olive harvest began.
The IDF and Israel Police are regularly criticised for failing to prosecute settlers for their offences, while insisting they are taking a firm stance against criminals.
At least half a million Israelis live in settlements scattered across the occupied West Bank.
International law considers their presence illegal.
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