Israeli settlers burn olive trees in West Bank

Dozens attack Palestinian harvesters An Israeli settler, near a fire, casts a projectile towards Palestinians during an attack on Palestinians' olive harvest near Ramallah in West Bank. Photo: REUTERS Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian olive harvesters in the occupied West Bank on Friday, burning trees and throwing rocks at villagers, while injuring at least two people, including a photojournalist working for The Washington Post. Around 80 settlers, some carrying gas canisters, descended on a terraced olive grove near Abu Falah, where villagers had gathered for the annual harvest. Some settlers used slings to hurl stones at Palestinians, who threw rocks back as they retreated down the hillside. Heidi Levine, the newspaper's photojournalist, said settlers pushed her to the ground and repeatedly kicked her. She was taken to hospital in Ramallah and was in stable condition. The Washington Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, called for a thorough investigation. Israeli military jeeps arrived during the violence, but the attack continued. Soldiers fired tear gas towards Palestinians, while a Reuters photographer saw an armed settler fire a gun. The military said troops fired warning shots and later fired towards a person they believed posed a threat. Settler violence has surged during this year's olive harvest. Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din recorded at least 170 attacks since September 27. The Abu Falah incident followed another attack near Turmus Ayya, where settlers reportedly burned three cars after confronting farmers harvesting olives.