Israeli settlers continue pogrom amid olive harvest in occupied West Bank

At least two people, including Washington Post journalist, injured as settlers armed with clubs and guns attack.

Palestinian volunteers douse an olive tree set alight reportedly by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on October 16, 2026 [AFP]

Masked settlers have attacked Palestinians and set fire to olive trees in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli pogroms in the territory continue.

Approximately 80 masked settlers armed with clubs charged at Palestinians in the village of Abu Falah as they picked fruit. The harvest, which provides an economic lifeline in the territory, has become a regular target of Israelis from illegal settlements, who have stepped up violence amid encouragement from the government for the expansion of settlements.

list 1 of 3 Israeli plan to reopen settler ‘Route 463’ threatens to isolate Ramallah

list 2 of 3 UK Green member behind anti-Zionism motion ‘receives death threats’

list 3 of 3 ‘Trying to dominate’: In Cyprus, some fear Israel’s growing influence

As the settlers confronted them, some using slingshots, the Palestinians responded by throwing rocks. Israeli ⁠military jeeps sped into the area, but the attack continued, and the soldiers fired tear gas in the direction of the Palestinians.

More settlers armed with machineguns then arrived, Jasper Nathaniel, an independent journalist who was on the ground, told Al Jazeera.

The sound of live gunfire could be heard in the area, and a photographer saw at least one armed settler fire a gun, the Reuters news agency reported.

Describing violence in the West Bank as being “at or near an all-time high right now”, Nathaniel said everyone ran when the settlers began firing, at which point Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine fell to the ground.

“We saw that there was a journalist … on the ground [with] people beating her, clubbing her, robbing her, pulling her up, beating her again and kicking her,” he said.

Levine later said she “probably wouldn’t even be here” had it not been for her helmet and flak jacket.

The attack extends the increasingly frequent pogroms carried out by settlers as Israel’s government pushes to expand its illegal settlements on Palestinian land.

Last month, Amnesty International said Israel had signed at least 15 land confiscation orders covering approximately 200 dunams (20 hectares) of Palestinian land in Jenin, in the northern West Bank. The rights group said it appeared Israel intended to connect two planned settlements in the area.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), an independent conflict-monitoring organisation, said recently that settler violence in the West Bank has reached record levels.

The growing violence and Israel’s expansionist policies have come under intense scrutiny in recent months, with allies including the UK and France announcing sanctions targeting the purchase of goods from illegal settlements.

The policy change marks a dramatic shift in stance by Western countries, which had previously refrained from going beyond verbal criticism of Israel’s actions.

至少两人受伤，其中包括《华盛顿邮报》记者，当时定居者手持棍棒和枪支发动袭击。

2026年10月16日，巴勒斯坦志愿者扑灭了一棵据称是以色列定居者在被占领的约旦河西岸点燃的橄榄树。[法新社]

在被占领的约旦河西岸，蒙面定居者袭击巴勒斯坦人并放火焚烧橄榄树，与此同时，以色列在该地区继续进行种族清洗。

大约80名蒙面、手持棍棒的定居者在阿布法拉赫村向正在采摘水果的巴勒斯坦人发起冲锋。水果收成是该地区的经济命脉，但如今却成了非法定居点以色列人的常客。在政府鼓励扩张定居点的背景下，这些定居点以色列人的暴力行为愈演愈烈。

以色列计划重开定居者“463号公路”，此举或将孤立拉马拉（共3条，此为第1条）

英国绿党反犹太复国主义动议发起人（名单2/3）“收到死亡威胁”

列表 3（共 3 条）“试图占据主导地位”：在塞浦路斯，一些人担心以色列日益增长的影响力

定居者与巴勒斯坦人对峙时，一些人使用了弹弓，巴勒斯坦人则投掷石块还击。以色列军用吉普车迅速驶入该地区，但袭击仍在继续，士兵们向巴勒斯坦人方向发射了催泪瓦斯。

据当时在现场的独立记者贾斯珀·纳撒尼尔向半岛电视台透露，随后更多携带机枪的定居者抵达。

路透社报道称，该地区可以听到实弹射击的声音，一名摄影师看到至少一名武装定居者开枪。

纳撒尼尔形容西岸的暴力事件“目前正处于或接近历史最高水平”，他说，当定居者开始开枪时，所有人都跑开了，这时《华盛顿邮报》记者海蒂·莱文倒在了地上。

他说：“我们看到一名记者倒在地上，有人殴打她、用棍棒殴打她、抢劫她、把她拉起来，再次殴打她、踢她。”

莱文后来表示，如果不是因为头盔和防弹背心，她“可能根本就不会在这里”。

随着以色列政府不断推进其在巴勒斯坦土地上的非法定居点扩张，此次袭击事件加剧了定居者日益频繁的种族清洗行为。

上个月，国际特赦组织表示，以色列至少签署了15项土地征用令，涉及约旦河西岸北部杰宁地区约200杜纳姆（20公顷）的巴勒斯坦土地。该人权组织称，以色列似乎意图将该地区的两个规划定居点连接起来。

武装冲突地点和事件数据项目（ACLED）是一个独立的冲突监测组织，该组织最近表示，西岸的定居者暴力事件已达到创纪录的水平。

近几个月来，日益严重的暴力事件和以色列的扩张主义政策受到了密切关注，包括英国和法国在内的盟友宣布对从非法定居点购买商品实施制裁。

这一政策变化标志着西方国家立场发生了巨大转变，此前西方国家对以色列的行为一直仅限于口头批评。