Herzog expresses 'sorrow' to E. Jerusalem man attacked by mob

Settlers reportedly attack Palestinians in olive groves as harvest season begins

Medics report one injured near Nablus, as footage shows soldiers firing tear gas to clear out Palestinians; settler violence has marred past harvest seasons

By Nurit Yohanan and ToI Staff Today, 3:11 pm
A soldier orders a Palestinian to exit an olive grove in Beita, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, on October 2, 2026. (Screen capture: X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

At least one Palestinian was injured Friday in a settler attack in the village of Beita, south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, the Red Crescent said, as Palestinian media reported several clashes in the territory.

Footage from Beita showed an armed settler, apparently a member of a security squad from one of the nearby settlements, telling Palestinians and accompanying activists that they were not allowed in the area.

Soldiers later removed the Palestinians, with footage showing troops firing tear gas.

According to Palestinian media, settlers also attacked Palestinians who were harvesting olives near the village of Asira al-Shamaliya, north of Nablus, while soldiers reportedly prevented Palestinians from harvesting near the Ramallah-area village of Ni’lin.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

On Thursday, settlers were also filmed vandalizing and stealing olives from trees belonging to the nearby village of al-Mughayyir, as IDF soldiers looked on without acting.

Such acts have intensified in recent days amid the start of the annual olive harvest season, which has previously seen an uptick in attacks.

Palestinians are barred from harvesting olives in some areas of the West Bank, free to do so in other areas, and required to receive prior authorization from Israel’s Civil Administration in others.

It was not immediately clear which restrictions applied to the areas where the Palestinians were trying to harvest.

Also on Friday, the IDF said it had removed from combat duty a soldier who was filmed earlier this week threatening a Palestinian Bedouin man an apparently unprovoked during a search of his home

The soldier was filmed on September 29 threatening a Bedouin man after entering his home on the outskirts of the village of Taybeh, close to Ramallah. In the video, which the soldier then sent to the man’s father, the former can be heard saying that “he will be beaten to a pulp. His eyes will be black and blue.”

According to the father, Mohammed Kaabneh, the incident occurred after settlers pepper-sprayed another of his sons and later entered the family’s home with soldiers and damaged property.

The IDF claimed that troops had been dispatched to the area of the village of Taybeh following a report of a confrontation between Israeli settlers and a Bedouin family.

“Upon their arrival, the troops did not identify any confrontation and conducted an operational search of the house. The troops did not use violence against any of those involved. The conduct of the soldier seen in the video is inconsistent with the IDF’s values. Following an investigation into the incident, the soldier faced disciplinary proceedings, at the conclusion of which it was decided to remove him from combat duty,” the IDF said.

Settler violence in the West Bank has risen sharply since the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza.

On Thursday, the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry said 51-year-old Mashhour Yassin was shot dead by settlers near the central West Bank village of Yasuf.

Israeli security forces said soldiers had opened fire on Palestinians in the area who were throwing stones at Israeli citizens, with one minor lightly wounded by the stones.

Earlier this week, the IDF said a violent raid by more than 100 settlers in the Nablus-area village of Jalud thwarted a military operation to secure the return home of a family that had been displaced by settler violence.

Critics accuse the government of condoning and even encouraging the violence, which has led to the displacement of dozens of Palestinian families.

President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday said settler violence “can be stopped” and accused the government of failing to do everything it can to stop it.

President Isaac Herzog on a visit to the IDF Judea and Samaria Division headquarters in the West Bank, on September 30, 2026. (Shalev Shalom)

On Thursday, Herzog spoke with Ahmed al-Hussein, a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem who was assaulted by an ultra-Orthodox mob outside the Old City’s Damascus Gate earlier this week.

Husseini’s assault was livestreamed on social media, with the person filming the incident heard declaring in delight, “Wow, they’re f**cking up an Arab.”

“I wanted to express my deep sorrow to you,” Herzog said, according to a readout from the President’s Residence. “I was truly saddened to see what happened to you, and I think the entire people of Israel were deeply pained to see this incident. This should never happen. No elderly person, and no person whatsoever, should be treated this way. I strongly condemn the violence against you.”

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