Masked Israeli settlers attacked and injured a Palestinian woman and an NBC News team in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to reports. The assault occurred while the journalists were interviewing Aida Ahmed Abdullah and her family in the Palestinian town of Jalud, near Nablus.
Abdullah had told the outlet that settlers had driven her family out of their home. As the four-member news team walked down a hill toward the house, a car with Israeli license plates reversed up the hill toward them. At least four masked men jumped from the vehicle, striking the group with sticks and throwing rocks.
Attack Details and Injuries
“They jumped out, beat us, then jumped back in the car,” said NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley, who was hit twice in the arm and treated at a nearby clinic. Abdullah, 51, was taken for medical care by the Red Crescent; her injuries were not life-threatening. Three other news team members were also injured and treated.
Producer Lawahez Jabari described the scene: “Suddenly a car came to us. The settlers had sticks, I saw a gun, but they didn’t use the gun.” Camera operator Khaldoon Eid said the team had not expected to be attacked in a village.
Broader Violence in the Area
Several violent incidents were reported in the area on Saturday. Palestinian workers were pepper-sprayed in nearby Qusra by masked Israeli settlers. Israeli security forces told the outlet they had received reports of “violent clashes occurred, including stone-hurling toward Palestinians and additional civilians.”
In a statement, Israeli forces said they “identified dozens of rioters who had barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while Palestinian residents were inside.” The security forces “initially operated to remove the rioters from the home and separate the groups, in order to protect the residents inside.” They also confiscated vehicles belonging to the Israeli rioters suspected of being used to reach the area. The statement added that “IDF soldiers and Israel Border Police forces continue to operate in the areas of Qusra and Jalud to prevent further disturbances and restore order in the area.”
Context and Reactions
Earlier this month, a group of settlers began blocking supplies from entering Palestinian houses on the outskirts of Jalud, trapping residents inside and drawing criticism from the US ambassador. Israeli forces continue to operate in the area while settlers still roam the surrounding hills.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the violence committed “by a handful of rioters.” He blamed “criminal acts of violence” on “a handful of rioters who violate the law, cause enormous injustice to the law-abiding settler public, hinder the IDF in fulfilling its missions and harm Israel’s standing in the world.”
According to the United Nations’ office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, Israeli forces or settlers killed 76 Palestinians in the West Bank in the year to 24 July, while three Israelis were killed over the same period.
