Beaten and detained: Three foreigners report settler attack in West Bank village

Violence against international observers in the occupied West Bank has intensified this month. Three foreigners say they were assaulted and detained by armed Israeli settlers in the village of Umm al-Khair.

Russian activist Adele Shoko documented the incident on social media on Oct. 29. She reported that she, US journalist Jasper Nathaniel, and Israeli-Russian activist Andrey X were targeted in the Masafer Yatta area.

Shoko stated that the group was beaten and threatened. She noted that Nathaniel was pepper-sprayed and subsequently arrested by Israeli forces. Video footage posted online shows men, some holding weapons, striking the two men while they are on the ground.

Shoko described Andrey X’s condition as critical. She said he suffered a concussion and lost consciousness multiple times in front of police. Despite his injuries, she claimed he was denied hospital treatment and transported to a police station instead of a medical facility. He remains detained there, she said.

This event follows a pattern of recent attacks in the region. On Oct. 16, masked settlers attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. The settlers set trees on fire and threw stones using slingshots during the assault.

Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was covering that Oct. 16 incident. She said she was wearing a protective vest marked PRESS when settlers kicked and beat her on the ground. They stole her passport, phone, and camera equipment. Israeli soldiers arriving at the scene fired live ammunition and tear gas, shooting a Palestinian man in the leg.

Levine was hospitalized after the Oct. 16 attack. Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray called the incident an unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job. Several US lawmakers have demanded an investigation into the violence. The latest incident in Umm al-Khair leaves three individuals detained or treated for injuries.