Activists Allegedly Attacked by Armed Settlers in West Bank Village

Published On 29 Oct 202629 Oct 2026

Russian activist Adele Shoko reported that she and two companions—American journalist Jasper Nathaniel and Israeli-Russian activist Andrey X—were assaulted by armed Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, located in the Masafer Yatta region of the occupied West Bank, according to statements posted on social media.

Shoko stated on the social media platform X that the three individuals were beaten and threatened by settlers who were also armed. During the incident, personal belongings and equipment were taken.

“Jasper and I were also beaten. Jasper was then pepper-sprayed and arrested,” Shoko wrote, noting that Nathaniel was subsequently detained by Israeli military forces.

According to Shoko, Andrey X sustained a concussion and lost consciousness multiple times during the assault before being held by authorities.

“Andrey was severely beaten and lost consciousness several times in front of police. Despite this, he was denied hospital treatment. He was put in an ambulance — but instead of being taken to hospital, he was taken to a police station. He is still there, arrested and being denied medical care,” she wrote.

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The alleged assault comes on the heels of an October 16 incident in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, where masked Israeli settlers reportedly attacked Palestinian farmers who were harvesting olives. The attackers set trees ablaze and used slingshots to hurl stones.

Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was covering that earlier incident, was beaten, robbed, and hospitalized. A Palestinian man was shot in the leg by Israeli soldiers who arrived at the scene and fired live ammunition and tear gas.

Levine, who was wearing a protective vest marked “PRESS”, said settlers repeatedly kicked and beat her while she was on the ground before stealing her passport, phone, and camera equipment. Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray condemned what he described as an “unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job”. Several U.S. lawmakers have also called for an investigation and an end to settler violence in the area.

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