--- title: "Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Harvesters and US Photojournalist" url: https://noti.group/israeli-settlers-attack-palestinian-harvesters-and-us-photojournalist/ language: en publisher: "Noti Group" section: "World News" published: 2026-10-19T12:28:27.000Z updated: 2026-10-19T13:31:53.461Z id: f6e9eb1b-91fb-4efe-ae9b-6eba0c91bfd4 source: "Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/10/19/al-jazeera-investigation-challenges-israeli-account-of-heidi-levine-attack?traffic_source=rss" attribution: "Link to https://noti.group/israeli-settlers-attack-palestinian-harvesters-and-us-photojournalist/ and name Noti Group when you quote or summarize this story." --- # Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Harvesters and US Photojournalist An investigation by Al Jazeera's Data Journalism Unit has uncovered evidence challenging official Israeli narratives regarding an attack on Palestinian olive harvesters and a US photojournalist in the occupied West Bank. An investigation conducted by Al Jazeera's Data Journalism Unit has uncovered evidence challenging official Israeli narratives regarding an attack on Palestinian olive harvesters and a US photojournalist in the occupied West Bank. The incident occurred on October 16 in Khirbet Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, where veteran Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was left with serious injuries despite wearing a clearly marked press vest. According to Al Jazeera's investigation, verified footage shows a coordinated attack by masked settlers, who were not intervened upon by nearby Israeli military vehicles. The Israeli government has offered conflicting accounts of the incident, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office questioning whether Israeli settlers were responsible at all. The Israeli army has suggested that its forces were engaged in addressing a confrontation between Palestinians and settlers. The Al Jazeera investigation involved monitoring over 20 videos and photos taken by journalists and witnesses on the ground, independently verifying the footage, arranging it chronologically, communicating with local reporters, and mapping key locations. Geospatial analysis has confirmed the location of the settlers' outpost where the attackers originated, pinpointing it near the Misholash settlement. The attack on American photojournalist Heidi Levine was mapped at coordinates 32°01’13.5″N 35°18’40.7″E, approximately 455 metres southwest of the outpost and just 120 metres north of a plot of land where Palestinians were picking olives when they came under assault. Rooms traditionally used by Palestinian farmers to store fertiliser and agricultural tools are located near the outpost, with one situated 430 metres northeast and another 500 metres northeast of the attack site. These rooms have been taken over by settlers who now use them as a gathering point. A local journalist, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, revealed that Palestinian owners can no longer access these rooms, which are located in Area B under the Oslo Accords where Israel retains security control and the Palestinian Authority manages civil affairs. The journalist noted that while only a few settlers typically reside at the outpost, during any incident 50 to 100 settlers from other outposts gather there before descending on the fields. Other settler tents on an adjacent mountain overlooking the village serve as additional gathering points for attacks on olive harvesters. The events leading up to the attack on Heidi Levine unfolded gradually, as footage shows a series of movements by settlers in the area. A 4x4 vehicle carrying settlers arrived at the site around 8am, followed closely by six motorcycles heading towards the opposite side of the harvesters. Approximately an hour later, a video captured nearly 30 settlers gathering near the farmers, marking a significant escalation of tensions. The presence of Israeli military vehicles in the area seemed to have little deterrent effect on the settlers. Al Jazeera correspondent Tharwat Shaqra reported that these vehicles passed through the area, after which the settlers proceeded towards the journalists and farmers as if emboldened by their passage. As the settlers advanced, they began setting fire to olive trees, prompting a response from village youths who threw stones in an attempt to push them back. This confrontation ultimately led to the assault on Levine. The subsequent footage shows the aftermath of the attack, with Levine being knocked down and her colleagues unable to reach her until young Palestinians intervened by throwing stones at the settlers, creating a temporary barrier that allowed Levine's colleagues to pull her away. The same video footage captured the sound of six gunshots in total, which Tharwat Shaqra confirmed were fired by the settlers. Contrary to initial reports, Israeli forces did not appear on the scene immediately after the attack. Instead, their vehicles were stationed in the settlers' area, and it was only later that soldiers arrived at the site. The army then proceeded to fire tear gas at the olive harvesters while intercepting an ambulance carrying Abdel Jaber Obeid, a local council member who had been injured. This sequence of events contradicts the official Israeli narrative of how the confrontation unfolded. Israeli authorities initially claimed that a violent clash broke out between 200 Arabs and far-left activists on one side, and approximately 40 Israeli youths on the other. Israeli authorities have maintained that their soldiers were attempting to disperse a violent crowd when they failed to intervene in the attack on Heidi Levine. However, videos and eyewitness accounts contradict this claim, suggesting that military vehicles passed by the settlers without intervening. The incident sparked international outrage, with the US Ambassador to Israel condemning the attack as a "despicable act of terror" carried out by masked individuals. The ambassador called for those responsible to face severe punishment, stating they should spend years in prison. --- Source: [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/10/19/al-jazeera-investigation-challenges-israeli-account-of-heidi-levine-attack?traffic_source=rss) Published by Noti Group: https://noti.group/israeli-settlers-attack-palestinian-harvesters-and-us-photojournalist/