IDF says it will investigate violent settler attack on Palestinians, journalist

The Israeli military and police say they are investigating today’s violence in the West Bank, during which settlers attacked Palestinians and an American journalist.

The violence took place as Palestinians were harvesting olives.

The army says troops and Border Police officers were dispatched to the Abu Falah area in the central West Bank following reports of a “violent confrontation.”

According to reports, some 80 settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the area and injured two people, including Heidi Levine, a photojournalist who works for The Washington Post.

Forces who arrived at the scene “acted to disperse the confrontation using riot dispersal means,” the military says, adding that the “confrontation was dispersed.”

At a nearby location, the army says troops fired warning shots into the air and subsequently at a suspect who “ran toward them carrying a sharp object and posed a threat to them.”

The IDF adds that “all circumstances surrounding the incident will be examined.”

Police say its investigators are set to enter the area with an IDF escort to collect evidence and take testimony for an investigation.

Separately, police say they are also investigating another attack by settlers on Palestinian olive harvesters in the Turmus Ayya area, where three vehicles belonging to Palestinians were set on fire.

“The Israel Police and the IDF view any manifestation of violence gravely, particularly when it involves journalists carrying out their work,” the military and police say.

The army adds that “attempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area,” and that it will “work together with the relevant authorities to eradicate this phenomenon.”

Police add that it will “continue to act resolutely and professionally to investigate these incidents and bring those involved to justice.”