Israeli settlers beat AFP photographer covering West Bank

Armed Israeli settlers on Tuesday beat an AFP photographer, leaving him requiring hospital treatment, as he covered ongoing violence by settlers against West Bank olive farmers.

Jaafar Ashtiyeh, 58, a veteran photographer for the international news agency in the Palestinian territory, suffered bruises to his head and torso and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, according to witnesses, his family and fellow journalists.

Ashtiyeh and another AFP photographer, John Wessels, were near the northern village of Aqraba where they noticed an Israeli soldier detaining a man as local Palestinians picked olives.

A quadbike suddenly raced towards the AFP journalists on top of a hill and a man from it opened live fire, with one Palestinian dropping to the ground. He was also hospitalised, with a gunshot to the foot, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

At least six other people then rushed towards the AFP journalists firing guns. As Ashtiyeh attempted to enter a car, which was clearly marked "Press", two men jumped on him and beat him repeatedly with the butts of their rifles.

"I could hear his screams," said Wessels, who was also threatened at gunpoint.

Ashtiyeh, who is Palestinian, was conscious in a hospital in Nablus. He underwent X-rays which did not detect broken bones but he will remain in hospital for round-the-clock observation, said his son, Zain Jaafar.

The assailants also took Ashtiyeh's camera equipment, Wessels said.

The violence took place despite the presence of at least a dozen fully equipped Israeli soldiers around 500 metres away, according to Wessels.

The man who initially fired the gun was wearing a long white shirt as well as military fatigue trousers and boots, which are commonly worn by soldiers, Wessels said.

AFP has reached out to the Israeli military for comment.

"We strongly condemn yet another serious attack on journalists trying to report on events in the West Bank and demand a full investigation. It is unacceptable that journalists can be beaten and robbed by armed settlers in front of Israeli security forces who made no attempt to intervene," said Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said it was "deeply alarmed".

"Israeli authorities must investigate why soldiers present in the area did not intervene in this attack against clearly identified journalists," it said.

"This attack is a blatant attempt to intimidate the press and obstruct accurate reporting from the West Bank. International media have a responsibility to tell all sides of the story and will not be deterred by physical assaults or threats."

Violence has flared in recent months in the West Bank with near-daily attacks, thefts or vandalism by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

There have also been attacks against Israelis, with a Palestinian shooting dead a settler last month.

Extremist Israeli settlers have been seizing olive groves owned by Palestinians, who see the trees as a cultural symbol.

Some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel captured in 1967, among three million Palestinians. Settlements in occupied territory are illegal under international law.

Media rights groups say that Israeli settlers have increasingly targeted journalists and that authorities have imposed growing impediments to coverage.

Israeli authorities have detained 19 journalists in the West Bank, including one AFP contributor, in the three years since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Gaza-based Hamas, according to Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.