German daily says journalists pelted with stones by settlers in West Bank on Friday

Settlers threw large stones at a correspondent and cameraman from the German daily Die Welt during an attack on the West Bank village of Sinjil on Friday, the newspaper says in a statement.

“They managed to reach safety without physical injuries, but the cameraman’s car was severely damaged: a window was shattered and the bodywork was dented,” Die Welt says, adding that their employees wore press vests, clearly identifying them as journalists.

Die Welt’s director general says in a statement: “There is no justification for this attack. We strongly demand that the Israeli government guarantee the safety of all journalists in the West Bank. Freedom of the press — and therefore the safety of journalists — is an indispensable pillar of any democracy.”

Germany’s Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert says the reports are “extremely worrying.”

“The freedom of press and the safety of journalists must be guaranteed. In view of the continuous rise in extremist settler violence their work is essential,” he writes on X.

Reports about violent settler attack on international journalists, including a German correspondent, are extremely worrying. The freedom of press and the safety of journalists must be guaranteed. In view of the continuous rise in extremist settler violence their work is essential

— Steffen Seibert (@GerAmbTLV) July 5, 2025