Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinians, Journalists At West Bank Olive Harvest, Witnesses Say
JERUSALEM, Nov 8 (Reuters) – Israeli settlers attacked a group of Palestinian villagers, activists and journalists gathered near a settler outpost in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday while attempting to pick olives, witnesses said.
Two Reuters employees, including a journalist and a security consultant accompanying him, were among those injured in the attack by men throwing large stones with sticks and sticks in an area close to the Palestinian village of Beita.
The area, located south of the West Bank city of Nablus, has been a flashpoint for increasing settler attacks in the West Bank in recent years. war in Gaza It started two years ago. Such attacks have increased this year olive harvestStarting in October.
As the number of such attacks increases, Israeli and other activists frequently join Palestinians in supporting them and their right to harvest olive groves, while also documenting all forms of violence. Activists or local Palestinians often brief journalists on harvest plans so they can prepare stories, especially in flashpoint areas such as outposts.
Settler outposts, which may include a series of caravans or more substantial structures, do not have the approval of Israeli authorities. Palestinians and most countries view any settlement as illegal under international law. Israel objects to this.
The Israel Defense Forces said they sent troops to the scene after receiving reports of what they described as conflict.
Eyewitnesses said they did not see Israeli soldiers at the scene.
“IDF condemns any act of violence and will continue to work to ensure security and order in the region,” the army told Reuters, adding that police would conduct further investigation into the incident.
Police did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
A spokesman for Israel’s Shomron Regional Council, which represents settlements in the area, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Saturday, when about 30 villagers and activists, as well as about 10 journalists, gathered for the harvest, dozens of men descended from a hilltop police station and launched an attack, beating people with sticks and repeatedly hitting Reuters photographer Raneen Sawafta as she tried to defend herself, witnesses said.
Israeli rights activist Jonathan Pollak, who witnessed the incident, stated that approximately 50 masked settlers were involved in the incident, and said that those who attacked Sawafta “brutally beat him, continued to stone him while he was on the ground, and then continued to attack anyone who came to his aid.”
He said settlers shouted in Hebrew and made comments such as “Get out of there.”
Sawafta was accompanied by Reuters security adviser Grant Bowden, who was beaten while trying to protect him. Camera equipment was destroyed.
Both were wearing helmets and had clear “Press” labels on their protective jackets. After the attack, there was a large dent in Sawafta’s helmet. An ambulance took them both to a hospital in Nablus, Palestine, for medical checks and treatment.
Many people were injured in the incident.
“We call on Israeli authorities to investigate this incident, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure that journalists can work freely and without harm,” Reuters said in a statement. he said.
Israeli settlers carried out at least 264 attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank in October; it was the largest monthly attack since 2006, when UN officials began monitoring such events. UN report released Friday.
Israeli rights groups say such incidents are rarely investigated by Israeli authorities and perpetrators are rarely held accountable.
(Reporting by Ali Sawafta in Ramallah and Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh, Maayan Lubell and Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Diane Craft)
