A shocking video captured by U.S. journalist Jasper Nathaniel exposed a violent attack by a masked Israeli settler on 55-year-old Palestinian farmer Afaf Abu Alia, known as Umm Saleh, in Turmus Ayya village, central West Bank. The footage, shared widely on X, shows the assailant wielding a knotted wooden club, striking Alia repeatedly on the head until she collapsed unconscious during the first day of the olive harvest. Rushed to a hospital, Alia was admitted to the intensive care unit with a brain hemorrhage, her condition reported as critical but stable by Palestinian media. The unprovoked assault, part of a broader confrontation, has intensified calls for accountability amid escalating settler violence.

The attack also injured two others: another Palestinian and a foreign volunteer assisting farmers, a group frequently targeted during the harvest season. Nathaniel, who witnessed the incident, alleged on X that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) personnel led farmers into an ambush, departing just before settlers launched their assault, contradicting the IDF’s claim that forces intervened to disperse the conflict and condemn settler violence. With approximately 80% of Turmus Ayya’s residents holding U.S. citizenship or residency, the incident has drawn significant attention, amplifying demands for protection and justice for Palestinian communities facing recurring aggression.

The video’s global reach prompted a sharp response from Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Palestine, who reshared it on X, decrying the impunity surrounding such attacks. “For 2 years, the world has seen scenes like this from the West Bank,” she wrote, questioning the silence of “decent Israelis” and urging action against settlers acting “like criminals on the loose.” No arrests have been made, fueling criticism of Israeli authorities, with data from Israeli NGO Yesh Din indicating only 3% of settler violence cases from 2005-2023 led to convictions. The assault aligns with a reported surge in attacks, with over 3,200 Palestinians injured in the West Bank in 2025, half during harvest disruptions.

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This incident underscores the volatile tensions in the occupied West Bank, where settler violence often aims to disrupt Palestinian agricultural traditions and livelihoods. The olive harvest, a cultural and economic cornerstone, has become a flashpoint, with 71 similar incidents recorded in early October alone. As the video garners millions of views and sparks calls for U.S. and international intervention, the lack of immediate arrests and conflicting accounts of IDF involvement highlight the urgent need for systemic measures to protect vulnerable communities and address the cycle of violence threatening regional stability.

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