Israeli settlers attack Palestinians carrying out olive harvest in West Bank

{"text":[[{"start":8.36,"text":"Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank on Friday, beating locals and a Washington Post journalist, as Palestinians attempted to carry out their annual olive harvest."}],[{"start":20.72,"text":"The attacks are part of a dramatic surge in settler violence that has taken place in the Palestinian territory since Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, in which ultranationalist settlers hold key roles, took office nearly four years ago."}],[{"start":34.88,"text":"The number of assaults by settlers on Palestinians is on course this year to hit the highest level in two decades, according to UN data, and has often jumped during the olive harvest, which is a crucial source of income for Palestinians and has become a target for disruption by settlers."}],[{"start":51.84,"text":"Palestinian officials documented 34 settler attacks on Friday, according to the Palestinian state news agency Wafa, including 15 in the Ramallah governorate and 13 in the Nablus governorate."}],[{"start":64.14,"text":"This left at least 19 Palestinians injured, as settlers attacked olive pickers and torched vehicles and trees."}],[{"start":71.12,"text":"Among those injured in one of the attacks, which took place near the village of Abu Falah, was Heidi Levine, a veteran photographer who has worked for the Washington Post in the Middle East and Ukraine."}],[{"start":81.92,"text":"The executive editor of the Post, Matt Murray, said Levine had been wearing a protective vest that was clearly marked “PRESS” and demanded an investigation into the incident. “We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job,” he added."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":97.36,"text":"Speaking to reporters at the hospital in Ramallah where she was taken after the attack, Levine described how she had been “jumped” by a group of settlers, knocked to the ground and beaten for 10 minutes."}],[{"start":107.4,"text":"“They broke my cameras off me, and they broke my bag, and they kept kicking me . . . and then they made me stand up and then they kicked me again,” she said. “It was absolute craziness, and I didn’t see anybody trying to stop it.”"}],[{"start":120.2,"text":"A person with knowledge of the situation said that Levine had suffered a broken rib, severe cuts to her hand, as well as lacerations to her leg that had been caused by some sort of sharp object."}],[{"start":130.88,"text":"She was in a stable condition, but would need surgery on the injuries to her hand, the person said."}],[{"start":134.86,"text":"The Israeli prime minister’s office said that it “unequivocally condemns violence against anyone — Jews, Arabs, Christians or journalists”. It added that “those responsible will be held accountable”. The Israeli military said it would examine “all circumstances surrounding the incident”."}],[{"start":152.48,"text":"However, Israeli settlers have long operated in a climate of near-total impunity. Human rights groups say the Israel Defense Forces rarely stop them from carrying out attacks and only a tiny fraction are ever convicted."}],[{"start":165.44,"text":"A study by the rights group Yesh Din found that 94 per cent of cases involving offences by Israelis against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank were dropped without charges between 2005 and 2024."}],[{"start":179.32,"text":"According to the UN’s humanitarian arm OCHA, there have been more than 1,600 attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinians and their property this year, putting 2026 on course to be the worst year since the agency began tracking settler violence in 2006."}],[{"start":195.84,"text":"Since Netanyahu’s coalition took office in 2022, settlers have carried out more than 6,100 attacks on Palestinians and their property. Together with access restrictions, the violence has displaced more than 6,500 Palestinians and has fully or partially displaced 132 Palestinian communities in the West Bank."}],[{"start":221.16,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1792218379_6149.mp3"}