Masked Settlers Attack Olive Harvesters, Injure 12 Near Abu Falah

Dozens of masked settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers and set fire to cars and trees near the West Bank village of Abu Falah on Friday, injuring 12 Palestinians, a local official told the BBC. Four of the 12 were dual Palestinian-American citizens, according to the same official, and a foreign journalist was also hurt during the raid, which a BBC team witnessed firsthand, BBC News reported.

What Happened Near Abu Falah?

A BBC team driving into farmland near Abu Falah encountered wounded farmers being evacuated by car as smoke rose from multiple fires, according to the outlet's report. One victim, Majdi Fheed, an American citizen, said roughly 15 men attacked the group with guns, rocks and "special weapons" while they were harvesting olive trees, BBC News reported. Yaser AlKam, a council member from the neighboring village of Turmus Aya, told the BBC that Fheed was struck with nail-studded sticks and required treatment for head wounds, and that Fheed's elderly mother was also injured in the attack.

How Many Cars and Trees Were Burned?

One man who drove injured farmers to the hospital told the BBC that settlers burned three cars during the raid, including his own, and attacked pickers with sticks while they worked. A woman traveling with him said the group fled as soon as settlers approached their land, per the BBC account.

Why Is This Year's Harvest Different?

The United Nations has recorded more attacks by Israeli settlers over the past two weeks than during the entirety of last year's olive harvest season, the BBC reported, citing the UN. That comparison — two weeks versus a full prior season — is the clearest numeric signal in the current dataset of how sharply the rate of settler violence has risen heading into this year's harvest, based on the UN's tally as reported by the BBC.

What Did the US State Department Say?

Asked about the violence, a State Department spokesperson said the department was aware of the reports and added: "We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank and call for investigations, arrests, and convictions, of those responsible," according to the BBC.

By the Numbers

• 12 Palestinians injured in the Abu Falah-area attacks, per a local official cited by the BBC.
• 4 of those 12 were dual Palestinian-American citizens, the same official told the BBC.
• 3 cars were set on fire during the raid, according to a driver who ferried the wounded, per BBC reporting.
• 7 Jewish settlements and outposts now surround one plot of land near three villages that combined forces to harvest together, landowner Amin Khalil told the BBC.
• 2 weeks of settler attacks this season have already exceeded the total recorded by the UN for all of last year's harvest, per the BBC's citation of UN data.

What Does the Timeline Look Like?

The olive harvest runs seasonally each autumn across the West Bank, and farmers have increasingly treated picking as a timed operation: trees are stripped at first light before settlers can organize, according to the BBC. In the orchard near Abu Falah visited by the BBC, farmers used power tools to clear trees quickly while watching a nearby outpost where a group of settlers had gathered. Three villages pooled their harvest that day specifically as a defensive measure, landowner Amin Khalil told the BBC, a tactic that has become more common as the UN's two-year comparison shows attack frequency accelerating. The State Department's call for investigations and prosecutions followed the attack but did not specify a timeline for any inquiry, per the BBC's report.