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On Saturday, November 8, Masked Israeli settlers armed with clubs attacked Palestinian farmers and solidarity activists, with many hospitalized after, in the Jabal Qamas area of Beita, south of Nablus, near the recently established Mevaser Shalom outpost, built on Beita’s confiscated land.
After a few hours of successful olive harvest, a group of around 50 settlers, masked and armed with clubs and sticks, descended on the harvesters from the hillside, hurling rocks at them. The assault left 14 people injured and in need of medical attention, including several Palestinian farmers, 3 medical personnel, two of whom suffering head injuries, 4 journalists, and 3 solidarity activists – one of them a US citizen, all of them sustaining head wounds.
Reuters journalist Raneen Sawafta was bludgeoned and stoned, even after she had fallen to the ground. Settlers attacked anyone who tried to help her. One solidarity activist suffered a broken cheekbone and jaw. When he reached the Beita clinic before being transferred to an hospital, his shirt was soaked in blood and his head was split open.
Despite the Israeli Occupation Forces claimed they had deployed soldiers to the scene to “disperse the confrontation”, eyewitnesses confirm that no Israeli military or police were present where the attack took place.
A US solidarity activist at the scene said: “I am not a strong runner and I feared for my life today. But I knew what I was getting into when I decided to join the group in Beita. I remember the day last year when I learned Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi had been killed in this town. I knew coming here that I was also putting my life at risk, but Palestinians keep telling me they ask international presence to support them to keep their lands. Their lives are no more or less valuable than mine.
“I’ve been to a dozen villages here in the West Bank to help with the olive harvest these last three weeks. Settler attacks are common, as are attacks from the Israeli military. Many Israeli soldiers themselves live in the illegal settlements. In the Palestinian town where I am right now, I can see the settlement of Shiloh. The danger is so close, always.”
The area where the attack occurred is the same location where the Zaytun 2025 campaign began on Friday, October 10. That day also saw violence from both settlers and soldiers, resulting in 20 injuries, including one person who was shot by a settler.
According to OCHA (the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), October saw the highest number of settler attacks since 2006, with 150 attacks documented, 140 Palestinians injured and over 4000 trees and saplings vandalised.
Beita has a long history of resistance against Israeli occupation and has been a focal point of violence directed towards Palestinian residents by Israeli forces and settlers. Located near several illegal Israeli settlements, the village holds regular demonstrations which have been violently repressed, leading to the killing of 18 Palestinians since 2020 and of Turkish – American activist Ayşenur Eygi a year ago. Thousands more have been injured during demonstrations and raids.