Israeli Settlers Beat AFP Photographer in West Bank, Washington Post Reports
Armed Israeli settlers beat Agence France-Presse photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh in the occupied West Bank while Israeli soldiers watched, as reported by The Washington Post.
Journalist Beaten Near Nablus As Security Forces Watch
Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photographer, was attacked as he tried to enter a car clearly marked with press insignia. Two men jumped on him and beat him repeatedly with the butts of their rifles, according to an account published by The Guardian. The assault took place in full view of about a dozen armed Israeli soldiers stationed roughly 500 meters away. Independent journalist and witness Wessels stated that she could hear Ashtiyeh screaming while she herself was threatened at gunpoint, and noted that the assailants also stole Ashtiyeh’s camera equipment. Ashtiyeh sustained bruises to his head and torso and was subsequently hospitalized in Nablus, where he remained conscious. Phil Chetwynd, global news director for Agence France-Presse, called the attack unacceptable, emphasizing that journalists were targeted and robbed in front of security forces who made no attempt to intervene. The Foreign Press Association expressed deep alarm over the incident and demanded an investigation into why soldiers present in the area failed to act.
Olive Harvest Opens Under Widespread Assault Across the West Bank
The attack on Ashtiyeh unfolded against a backdrop of escalating violence surrounding the Palestinian olive harvest. Al Jazeera reported that harvesters across the West Bank faced beatings, burned trees, stolen crops, and land closures as settlers and farmers moved toward groves ahead of the official season. Farmers in places like Beita and Sinjil were pepper-sprayed, struck with sticks, and stripped of ladders, tarps, and harvested olives. In Beita, Israeli settlers opened fire on pickers while forces deployed tear gas directly at the crowd. Simultaneously, the Israeli military halted harvests in multiple locations, including Deir Istiya, Farkha, Haris, and az-Zawiya, turning farmers away from their own land and confiscating identification cards and tools. Independent international volunteers accompanying Palestinians were forced out at gunpoint alongside journalists covering the disruptions.
Taybeh And Surrounding Communities Face Closed Military Zones and Fear
In Taybeh, the West Bank’s last entirely Christian village, residents were blocked from accessing their land for the fourth autumn. Vatican News reported that the Israeli army declared the village a closed military zone, cutting off residents from their olive groves while allowing Israeli settlers to roam freely. Palestinian Christian activist Ihab Hassan stated that most land is out of reach and that residents live in fear amid recurring attacks that have damaged local infrastructure, including a quarry operated by Roland Basir. The closed military status also bars pilgrims and outsiders, stripping the village of tourism income and international oversight. Bishop James Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, warned over the summer that the ban would lead to a vital loss of income and scrutiny. These incidents are part of a broader pattern affecting both Christian and Muslim communities throughout the West Bank.
Settlers Attack Palestinians as Regional Violence Intensifies
Violence in the region has intensified with near-daily attacks, thefts, and vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, alongside separate attacks targeting Israelis, such as the fatal shooting of a settler last month. Haaretz reported that Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers on Tuesday on land belonging to the village of Aqraba, deep inside Area B, wounding two people. Beyond the groves, two Palestinians were shot dead in separate incidents involving settlers and Israeli forces within a day of each other, including 51-year-old Mashhour Yassin, who was killed on October 1 as settlers stormed homes in Yasouf. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office cited by The Guardian, Israel was the world’s leading killer of journalists in 2025, with at least 225 journalists killed in Lebanon and Gaza. Media rights groups note that Israeli authorities have detained 19 journalists in the West Bank, including one AFP contributor, in the three years following the October 7, 2023, attacks, while authorities continue to impose growing impediments to field coverage.
The question of why armed security forces present at the scene of the assault on Ashtiyeh made no attempt to intervene remains unanswered by military authorities, and official investigations into the soldiers’ conduct and the return of the stolen camera equipment have yet to produce public findings.
