AFP photographer assaulted by Israeli settlers in West Bank as soldiers look on
text_fields
An experienced Palestinian photographer working for Agence France-Presse (AFP) was hospitalised after armed Israeli settlers allegedly assaulted him with rifle butts in the occupied West Bank, while Israeli soldiers were reportedly present nearby but did not intervene.
Jaafar Ashtiyeh, 58, was covering escalating settler violence against Palestinian olive farmers near the northern West Bank village of Aqraba when he and fellow AFP photographer John Wessels encountered a volatile situation. The journalists had noticed an Israeli soldier detaining a man as Palestinian farmers gathered to harvest olives, but events soon took a violent turn.
A quad bike raced towards the journalists, and a man riding it opened fire, causing a Palestinian man to fall to the ground after being shot in the foot, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. The wounded man was subsequently taken to hospital.
Ashtiyeh attempted to escape in a clearly marked vehicle bearing the word “Press”, but two men reportedly jumped on him and repeatedly struck him with the butts of their rifles. At least six other men were said to have approached the journalists while firing guns, and Ashtiyeh’s camera equipment was also taken.
Wessels said that around a dozen armed Israeli soldiers were approximately 500 metres away when the assault occurred, adding that he could hear Ashtiyeh’s screams while he himself was threatened at gunpoint.
Ashtiyeh, who sustained bruising to his head and torso, was taken to a hospital in Nablus, where X-rays found no broken bones. His son, Zain Jaafar, said that the photographer remained conscious but would stay under round-the-clock observation.
The incident occurred amid a surge in settler violence during the olive harvest, which is a vital source of income for many Palestinian families and carries deep cultural significance. Human rights groups have long criticised the limited legal consequences faced by settlers accused of attacking Palestinians.
AFP has called for a full investigation, while the Foreign Press Association said the assault represented a blatant attempt to intimidate journalists and obstruct independent reporting.
The West Bank, captured by Israel in 1967, is home to about 500,000 Israeli settlers and three million Palestinians, while Israeli settlements there are regarded as illegal under international law. Media rights groups have also reported increasing restrictions and attacks against journalists covering the territory.