Israeli settlers attack AFP journalists in occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers assaulted AFP reporters near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, leaving at least five individuals injured, according to the journalists and medical personnel present. The journalists were conducting a report on the tensions between settlers and Palestinians when they arrived in Jannatah, a village where Israeli activists were visiting Palestinians facing harassment from settlers.

The activists had previously blocked a road utilized by local Palestinians. Following a confrontation between settlers and activists, the Israeli military instructed the journalists to vacate a region designated as a "closed military zone." Shortly thereafter, additional vehicles containing settlers arrived on the scene, as reported by AFP.

The settlers, many of whom were children, hurled stones at the journalists and activists. One AFP journalist reported dodging a stone just before a young settler struck him on the chin with a stick, resulting in minor bleeding. Subsequently, both of the journalists' vehicles were damaged, with rear windshields smashed and tires punctured.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society stated that five people were treated for injuries. AFP journalists noted that they observed at least one Israeli activist being transported away in a Palestinian ambulance. The West Bank is inhabited by approximately 500,000 Israeli settlers alongside around three million Palestinians. Israel has been in occupation of the territory since 1967.

This incident occurs as Israeli authorities under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government continue to expand settlement construction in the West Bank in advance of parliamentary elections on October 27. Violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has surged significantly since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza.