Israeli settlers burn olive trees, injure journalist in West Bank attack

ABU FALAH 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 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. 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 photographer saw at least one armed settler fire a gun. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 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. The newspaper did not immediately respond to a request for ‌comment. Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has surged, with at least 170 attacks since September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlements monitoring group. The settlers have been emboldened by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has overseen a rapid expansion of settlements and smaller outposts across the West Bank.