Armed settlers seize 32 items and beat three reporters in West Bank village
A Russian activist and two colleagues were assaulted in Umm al-Khair, with one losing consciousness and being denied hospital care.
By Isaac Medina ·
Violence against international observers in the occupied West Bank intensified this week after armed settlers attacked three people in a Palestinian village.
Russian activist Adele Shoko reported on social media that she, US journalist Jasper Nathaniel, and Israeli-Russian activist Andrey X were beaten and threatened in Umm al-Khair, located in the Masafer Yatta area.
Shoko stated that the settlers stole equipment and personal items from the group. She noted that Nathaniel was pepper-sprayed and later taken into custody by Israeli forces.
The activist described the condition of Andrey X, saying he suffered a concussion and lost consciousness multiple times in front of police. Shoko claimed he was placed in an ambulance but taken to a police station instead of a hospital, where he remained detained without medical treatment.
Video footage posted by Shoko shows several armed men striking Nathaniel and Andrey X. Additional clips show Israeli authorities leading Nathaniel away as he shouts that he had just been beaten.
This incident follows a previous attack on October 16 in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. Masked settlers assaulted Palestinian farmers harvesting olives, set trees on fire, and threw stones with slingshots.
Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was covering that earlier attack while wearing a vest marked PRESS. Settlers beat her on the ground and stole her passport, phone, and camera. Israeli soldiers who arrived fired live ammunition and tear gas, shooting a Palestinian man in the leg. Levine was hospitalized after the assault.
Matt Murray, Executive Editor of the Washington Post, described the earlier attack on Levine as unwarranted. Several US lawmakers have since called for an investigation into settler violence in the region.
