On October 16, 2026, the annual olive harvest in the West Bank became a flashpoint of violence. The olive harvest was underway in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, and in the Binyamin Region areas of al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah when the violence erupted. The atmosphere quickly deteriorated as opposing groups confronted each other in the groves.
Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was in Abu Falah to document the harvest when she came under attack. Levine described seeing, in the distance, at least 50 masked men armed with slingshots on a hilltop. When the group ran down toward her, she was pushed to the ground and subjected to repeated kicks. She said the assault lasted about ten minutes and that her equipment was broken during the ordeal.
Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers on Friday, setting olive groves on fire and slinging rocks. Caught in the attack was Post photographer Heidi Levine. “They just kept kicking me and kicking me, like probably 50 times,” Levine said. https://t.co/9YLUuU9ktP https://t.co/0SrFcIW4as
The attackers were identified as Israeli settlers. They targeted both Palestinians present in the olive groves and Levine herself, a U.S. citizen working for an American news outlet. The violence included physical blows and the destruction of her camera gear. Levine’s testimony underscores the brutality of the encounter: she recalled being kicked repeatedly while on the ground.
Levine’s testimony underscores the brutality of the encounter: she recalled being kicked repeatedly while on the ground.
While the settler assault unfolded in Abu Falah, another confrontation took place nearby. Palestinian Arab rioters attacked Jews in the Binyamin Region, specifically in the areas of al-Mughayyir and Abu Falah. According to the same sources, they set fire to an agricultural field and caused minor injuries to several Israelis. These clashes occurred on the same day, October 16, 2026.
🚨 NOW: Settler terror attack on Abu Falah in the West Bank. American journalist Heidi Levine was beaten by the settlers, many Palestinian were injured, one shot by the IDF. The army allowed the settler attack, and tear gassed and assaulted the Palestinians. https://t.co/qAZxZf5h6g
In total, approximately twenty people were reported injured across the incidents. The Israel Defense Forces responded to the violence, issuing a statement that the IDF strongly condemns the incident and views any manifestation of violence with utmost severity. The IDF said it would work with relevant authorities to address the violence.
Following the attacks, the United States Embassy and Israeli police announced they were investigating the events. The Washington Post also reacted strongly. Editor Matt Murray said the outlet was outraged by the unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urged a thorough investigation and follow‑through from authorities.
“Let me die,” American photojournalist Heidi Levine repeats to journalists Jasper Nathaniel as they try to outrun masked Israeli settlers who attacked her on Friday while she covered the olive harvest in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, near Ramallah. Around 80 settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters in the village, AP reported. The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated six people injured in two attacks in Abu Falah. Levine, a freelancer for the Washington Post, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that the settlers knocked her down and kicked her for at least 10 minutes, even after she identified herself as an American journalist. They stole her camera, phone and bag. She was eventually taken to a hospital in Ramallah. "The IDF provided cover, with tear gas and machine guns, while the settlers beat" Levine "nearly to death," Nathaniel wrote, adding that soldiers then shot a Palestinian bystander and aimed their guns at and shoved paramedics trying to treat him. AP photos and circulating videos show Israeli soldiers standing over a wounded Palestinian man after they shot him. Andrey X, an activist also at the scene, said a Palestinian man "saved our lives from the settler-terrorists who attacked the olive harvesters and journalists” armed only with a slingshot. https://t.co/dDjKiUMCjV
Heidi Levine, reflecting on the attack, said she did not know how a parent could raise such a monster, adding that the attackers were not even humans and, in her view, were Jewish terrorists. Her remarks, together with the IDF’s condemnation and the calls for investigation, frame the day’s events as a stark reminder of how quickly communal tensions can erupt during routine activities like the olive harvest.