Israeli settler terrorists are attacking the Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, blocking its entrance and preventing residents from entering or leaving the town

Ihab Hassan

@IhabHassane

 

BREAKING: Israeli settler terrorists are attacking the Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, blocking its entrance and preventing residents from entering or leaving the town.  https://x.com/IhabHassane/status/1979953695962874182

William Dalrymple

 

@DalrympleWill

 

I've spent time in the wonderful Christian village of Taybeh on the West Bank, which was again attacked by Israeli Settlers this weekend. This was my report for @nybooks : Disappearing Christians | William Dalrymple | The New York Review of Books https://share.google/pUYAPvG2zDRkmf

September 25, 2003 issue 

Disappearing Christians

William Dalrymple

 

“The first thing that you notice about Taybeh as you drive in is that the village is full of churches: it is in fact one of the last villages around here still dominated by Palestinian Christians.”

Taybeh is a small Palestinian village in the West Bank, ten miles northwest of Jerusalem. The farmhouses that you pass on the road there, the domes of the abandoned caravanserai, the minarets of Ottoman mosques—all are built of honey-colored limestone which changes tone according to the color of the sky. Shepherd boys lead their flocks down steep olive slopes into the strip fields of the valleys; it could almost be Tuscany. Only the concrete phalanx of fast-expanding Israeli settlements on the hilltops reminds you where you are, and brings you back to the tensions and violence that are inescapable here. With their towering cranes and half-built apartment blocks and long lines of solar panels glinting on their roofs, the settlements are surrounded by swarms of yellow bulldozers ripping through the ancient landscape. At the settlement gates sit nests of razor wire, the fortified emplacements of the Israeli army.  https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2003/09/25/disappearing-christians/

 

From the Holy Mountain: A Journey among the Christians of the Middle East

by William Dalrymple (Author) 

 

William Dalrymple sets off to retrace their footsteps

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Israeli settlers attack [PALESTINIAN] olive farmers and Washington Post journalist in West Bank: Settlers hurl rocks at Palestinians and beat photographer Heidi Levine as part of yearly attacks to disrupt harvest

 Palestine 

William Christou

Fri 16 Oct 2026 10.06 EDT

Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians across the occupied West Bank in a coordinated movement to disrupt the annual olive harvest, burning cars and trees and injuring Palestinians and a Washington Post photographer.

Masked settlers wielding clubs and other weapons attacked Palestinians attempting to harvest their olives in towns across the West Bank on Friday. At least six people had been injured in the town of Abu Falah near Ramallah, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

At least 80 settlers, some of whom were carrying firearms or clubs, gathered to stop Palestinians from harvesting their olives in Abu Falah, using slingshots to hurl rocks at the farmers in view of Israeli military jeeps. When some of the Palestinians then picked up rocks to defend themselves, the Israeli military fired teargas in their direction.

The Israeli foreign press association said in a statement: “This is the latest in a long line of violent attacks by Israeli settlers against journalists and other civilians in the occupied West Bank. Yet our repeated calls for action to confront this lawlessness have been ignored by Israeli authorities.”

Among those injured was the Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, who was beaten by settlers in an attack that lasted more than 10 minutes, according to witnesses. Settlers stole her passport, phone, wallet and equipment.

“I was attacked, pushed to the ground. Luckily, I had my flak jacket and helmet, otherwise I probably wouldn’t even be here, because they just kept kicking and kicking me,” Levine said from a hospital bed in Ramallah. She said the attack had ended when her Palestinian colleagues intervened to save her.

In a statement, the Washington Post said that Levine had been wearing visible markings clearly identifying her as a journalist.

The coordinated assault came amid a surge of settler violence against Palestinians over the past month. Settlers have carried out at least 170 attacks since 27 September, around the start of the annual olive harvest, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group.

Every year, settlers attack Palestinians trying to harvest their olives, but this year’s harvest has seen an uptick in violence as Israel’s... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/16/israeli-settlers-attack-olive-farmers-west-bank-washington-post-journalist-heidi-levine

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Israel imposed new rules on the olive harvest this year, barring Palestinians from harvesting their trees located in Area C – an area under the Israeli military’s control, which comprises most of the West Bank’s agricultural land. 

[Israeli] Violence and restrictions continue to drive humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank [Palestine], while shortfalls in humanitarian funding are further holding back relief efforts

Humanitarian organizations provide emergency shelter and other essential support to #Palestinians displaced from their homes. But displacement continues to rise by the year while funding and operational space remain limited.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory mobilizes and coordinates assistance to people in need. 

Humanitarian Situation Report | 25 September 2026

Highlights

• Demolitions displaced 147 Palestinians across the West Bank in one week, more than three times the 2026 weekly average, including 58 people in South ‘Anata Bedouins, near the area designated for the E1 settlement expansion plan.
• Israeli forces’ operations and movement restrictions disrupted access to essential services for thousands of Palestinians in Ramallah governorate, while operations by Israeli forces in Nablus temporarily displaced families and closed schools and a health clinic.
• Funding shortfalls threaten mobile health services in Area C: 20 locations are at risk of losing mobile-clinic coverage without continued funding, while 17 locations are already without services.
• In Gaza, shortages of cancer medications, chemotherapy and radiotherapy supplies, dialysis materials, insulin and engine oil – caused by underfunding and lack of clearance for limited available medicines to enter Gaza – are disrupting life-saving services.
• The new academic year in Gaza began on 19 September with an estimated 200,000 children remaining out of school, amid funding shortfalls. Partners had prepared by removing rubble, cleaning some classrooms and providing bags and stationery. In the Strip, approximately 495,000 preschool and school-aged children are enrolled in learning spaces supported through the UN and partners’ humanitarian response.
• Funding shortfalls and restrictions are severely constraining preparations for the rainy season, with very limited available stocks covering only a fraction of the needs; hundreds of child-friendly spaces and protection services face disruptions.
• Across the Gaza Strip, 451 displacement sites identified as being at high risk of flooding are hosting an estimated 464,402 people.

Overview

Violence and restrictions continue to drive humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while shortfalls in humanitarian funding are further holding back relief efforts. Addressing Member States as part of the General Assembly High-level Week, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that "we must not lose sight of the devastating situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

Regarding Gaza, he said that “the resumption of assistance since the ceasefire was announced last October has brough some relief – but conditions remain intolerable... International law, including international humanitarian law, is brazenly violated. Humanitarian access remains severely restricted, and the level of human suffering is still off the charts.” He reiterated the need to allow the UN to perform its mandates in Gaza and for UN and humanitarian personnel to be protected, stressing that all parties must comply with international law and the orders of the International Court of Justice.

Regarding the West Bank, he said that "record levels of settler attacks and relentless efforts to expand settlements are pushing Palestinian communities to the breaking point. Such actions are unlawful and unjust." The Secretary-General further said that violence, displacement and settlement expansion by Israel "are bulldozing the path to peace and raising the spectre of ethnic cleansing."... READ MORE  https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-report-25-september-2026

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Armed Israeli settlers beat Jaafar Ashtiyeh, the photographer who took this image, in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered the settler violence against the olive farmers.

Asira al-Qibliya, West Bank

Palestinian farmers try to extinguish fires on their land after Israeli soldiers fired teargas at them as they harvested their olives, resulting in the dry fields catching fire, in the village of Asira al-Qibliya. Armed Israeli settlers beat Jaafar Ashtiyeh, the photographer who took this image, in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered the settler violence against the olive farmers. Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photographer for AFP in Palestine, was assaulted by a group of settlers despite him being marked as pressPhotograph: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images

 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/oct/09/the-week-around-the-world-in-20-pictures?CMP=share_btn_url#img-8

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[Palestinian photographer] Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against [Palestinian] olive farmers when [Israeli] settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles   

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/06/israeli-settlers-beat-press-photographer-as-soldiers-watch-in-west-bank

Israel was the world’s leading killer of journalists in 2025, and has killed at least 225 journalists in Lebanon and Gaza, according to the UN Human Rights Office.

Violence has flared in recent months in the West Bank with near-daily attacks, thefts or vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

Israeli settlers beat press photographer as soldiers watch in West Bank- Jaafar Ashtiyeh was covering violence against olive farmers when settlers set upon him with the butts of their rifles

West Bank  in The Guardian

William Christou in Jerusalem and agencies

Tue 6 Oct 2026

Armed Israeli settlers beat a photographer in the presence of Israeli soldiers, hospitalising him, as he covered worsening settler violence against olive farmers in the occupied West Bank.

Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran photographer for Agence France-Presse in Palestine, was assaulted by a group of settlers, who beat him with the butts of their rifles, despite him being marked as press. He was assaulted in view of about a dozen armed Israeli soldiers.

Ashtiyeh suffered bruises to his head and torso and was taken to hospital, according to witnesses, his family and fellow journalists.

His assault came amid a worsening wave of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. Every year, settlers attack Palestinian farmers trying to harvest their olives – an economic lifeline for the beleaguered Palestinian economy – with few legal consequences.

This harvest season has been particularly violent as the Israeli elections approach at the end of the month.

Ashtiyeh and another AFP photographer, John Wessels, were near the northern village of Aqraba when they noticed an Israeli soldier detaining a man as local Palestinians picked olives.

A quad bike suddenly raced towards the AFP journalists on top of a hill and a man on it opened live fire, with one Palestinian dropping to the ground. He was also hospitalised, with a gunshot to the foot, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

At least six other people then rushed towards the AFP journalists firing guns. As Ashtiyeh attempted to enter a car, which was clearly marked “Press”, two men jumped on him and beat him repeatedly with the butts of their rifles.

A group of at least a dozen Israeli soldiers were about 500 metres away at the time of the attack, according to Wessels.

“I could hear his screams,” said Wessels, who was also threatened at gunpoint. The assailants also took Ashtiyeh’s camera equipment.

Ashtiyeh, who is Palestinian, was conscious in a hospital in Nablus. He underwent X-rays which did not detect broken bones but he will remain in hospital for round-the-clock observation, his son, Zain Jaafar, said.

The man who initially fired the gun was wearing a long white shirt as well as military fatigue trousers and boots, which are commonly worn by soldiers, Wessels said.

AFP has asked the Israeli military for comment. Settlers are rarely arrested or charged for their attacks against Palestinians... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/06/israeli-settlers-beat-press-photographer-as-soldiers-watch-in-west-bank

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Just a gentle reminder from Dr. Hanan Ashrawi of Palestine: "In Gaza, Israel continues to shell Palestinians, killing up to a dozen daily, while Palestinian civil defence employees continue to dig up hundreds of remains of the ten thousand that Israel massacred in their own homes & neighborhoods. In the West Bank, Israeli settler thugs continue their daily raids & pogroms armed, funded & aided by the Israeli government & army. They uproot hundreds of thousands of mainly olive trees & steal the olives that Palestinian farmers picked. In the meantime, the Israeli government brazenly announces the stealing of more land & the building of more settlements while re-engineering the demographic reality & courses of movement in the West Bank to facilitate its fragmentation & annexation"

 Hanan Ashrawi  [Just Hanan. #FreePalestine]

@DrHananAshrawi

 

In Gaza, Israel continues to shell Palestinians, killing up to a dozen daily, while Palestinian civil defence employees continue to dig up hundreds of remains of the ten thousand that Israel massacred in their own homes & neighborhoods. 

 

In the West Bank, Israeli settler thugs continue their daily raids & pogroms armed, funded & aided by the Israeli government & army. They uproot hundreds of thousands of mainly olive trees & steal the olives that Palestinian farmers picked. 

 

In the meantime, the Israeli government brazenly announces the stealing of more land & the building of more settlements while re-engineering the demographic reality & courses of movement in the West Bank to facilitate its fragmentation & annexation. Just a gentle reminder.

 

https://x.com/DrHananAshrawi/status/2105954028135776443 

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Israel and the US have battered the international legal order. The impunity must stop

‘What can countries do? History points to some answers.’ Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

A group of nations will gather on Friday to address the crisis. The only response to unilateral bullying is collective action 

Fri 25 Sep 2026 

Varsha Gandikota

The international legal order is in shambles. But from the ruins of impunity and lawbreaking, a group of nations is working to enforce accountability.

On Monday, the UN general assembly’s high-level meetings opened to news that Washington had drawn up sanctions against the international criminal court, targeting its bank accounts, software, insurers and staff.

On Tuesday, the US president stood at the podium and threatened Iran with annihilation. On Thursday at the same rostrum, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the ICC for war crimes, cast all those seeking accountability as “barbarians who threaten our common civilization”. Palestinian officials were absent, denied travel visas by the United States.

Netanyahu has never pretended to respect international law. When South Africa brought its Genocide Convention case against Israel’s actions in Gaza, Netanyahu declared: “Nobody will stop us – not The Hague.” This summer, he mused on American television that, should his plane ever be forced down in a country that honours the warrant, Israel’s special forces could be given “a new task”. The American president has promised he will not be arrested on US soil “in any way, shape, or form”. 

The message to the world is plain: crimes committed by the allies and acolytes of power will never be punished.

This impunity is not limited to Gaza. It’s playing out in the accelerating ethnic cleansing of the West Bank. It has travelled to Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,000 people this year and displaced more than a million. In southern Syria, Israeli troops shell and raid villages in the countryside around Damascus. In Sudan, massacres are carried out with arms, technology and financing of the United Arab Emirates, an ally of the Israeli government.

Every commander with a patron has learnt the lesson of the past three years. Mass atrocity carries no price if your friends are strong enough.

States that resist encounter punishments in dizzying varieties – sanctions, tarriffs, threats and isolation. South Africa lost US aid after bringing its genocide case to The Hague. Colombia’s president had his visa revoked after speaking out on Gaza in the streets of New York.

This too will not remain confined to the global south. Instruments built for terrorists and drug cartels are now pointed at judges. More than a dozen ICC judges and prosecutors, including the court’s president, already live under US sanctions. A designation of the whole institution would reach every European bank, insurer and technology supplier serving a court that sits in the Netherlands.... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/25/israel-us-un-icc-hague-netanyahu?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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