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's annual harvest that injured at least two people, including a Washington Post journalist. 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, witnesses said. Occupied West Bank: Israeli forces uproot hundreds of olive trees To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.
One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: Occupied West Bank: Israeli forces uproot hundreds of olive trees (2026) © / France 24 The settlers took positions in front of the terraced lanes of olive trees.
Some of them used slings to launch rocks towards Palestinian villagers, who descended towards the bottom of the hill before picking up and throwing stones to defend themselves. "The settlers want to attack us and force us from our homes," said Moutaz Abdelhadi, 42, a farmer who witnessed the attack in Abu Falah. Partway through the attack, at least two Israeli military jeeps sped through the area, kicking up dust as villagers ran out of their way.
The attack continued after the military's 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 photographer saw at least one armed settler fire a gun. Residents in West Bank's Masafer Yatta face Israeli demolitions To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.
Cover image: Screenshot of a video showing the Israeli army demolishing buildings in the village of Khirbet a-Taban on September 2, 2026. © Yehuda Shaul via X In a statement, the Israeli military said soldiers and border police fired what it described as warning shots after deploying to the area and at one point fired towards a person who the troops believed had posed a threat. "Attempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area," the military said. "Attacks and violence against innocent civilians are grave and unacceptable," it added.
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 the attack showed Levine lying on her side on a dirt path with her hands over her face as at least three settlers surrounded her.
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