Armed Israeli settlers beat a photographer for Agence France-Presse while Israeli soldiers watched, according to The Guardian. The assault occurred in the occupied West Bank.
Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a 58-year-old veteran AFP photographer based in Palestine, was struck with rifle butts by settlers during coverage of violence against olive farmers. The attack hospitalised him. Ashtiyeh wore press credentials at the time. About a dozen armed Israeli soldiers were present during the assault but did not intervene, The Guardian reports.
The incident took place amid what The Guardian describes as worsening settler violence against olive farmers in the West Bank. The newspaper does not specify a date, location within the West Bank, Ashtiyeh's specific injuries or hospital details. It does not provide statements from Israeli military officials, the settlers involved or Ashtiyeh himself.
Press freedom organisations have documented repeated incidents of journalists facing obstruction and physical assault while covering Israeli-Palestinian tensions in the West Bank. This account, as reported by The Guardian, adds to documented complaints about press access and safety in the territory. The presence of soldiers during the assault raises questions about protocol and rules of engagement, though The Guardian provides no comment from Israeli defence officials on that point.