Settler attacks on the West Bank olive harvest intensify; Israel frees suspects and moves to deport foreign activists
Settler attacks on Palestinian farmers during the West Bank olive harvest have intensified. Most suspects arrested over an attack on a Washington Post photojournalist and diplomats have been released, while 11 foreign activists face deportation.
Left 1 · Centre-left 8 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 1 · Right 0
Blindspot for the right (barely covered by right-leaning outlets)
Sources by leanFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Violence and impunity: 'Israeli pogroms on Palestinian farmers intensify' (Al Jazeera), 'Israel frees suspects in two settler attacks', and the photojournalist saved by Palestinian youths (Guardian, CNN).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Israeli settlers steal Palestinians' olives as attacks on harvest grow more violent” (Reuters).
Right-leaning outlets
Little right-leaning coverage in our sample; the Jerusalem Post editorial says 'violence, theft during olive harvest must be publicly, explicitly condemned'.
Holding the paradox
Agreed facts
Attacks on Palestinian farmers during the West Bank olive harvest have intensified, including theft of olives, damage to trees and assaults. Nine of 10 settlers arrested over an attack on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine and European diplomats have been released. Israeli authorities moved to deport 11 foreign activists detained at the harvest.
Where claims conflict
The court said the attack happened amid 'massive stone-throwing' by Palestinians. Police say the activists were in a closed military zone; the activists say they were protecting farmers. NPR reports nearly 80 activists detained.
The paradox
Those who came to protect the harvest are deported, while those accused of attacking it are released. The olive tree, a symbol of peace, is where the conflict is fought each autumn.
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
Centre 3
- Reuters
Israeli settlers steal Palestinians' olives as attacks on harvest grow more violent (paywall or login) - BBC News top-up
Israeli police arrest 10 over settler attacks on journalist and diplomats in West Bank - France 24 top-up
Israel announces arrests after West Bank settler attacks on Westerners (paywalled or blocks bots)
Showing 3 from each side of 11 rated outlets (L 9 / C 1 / R 1). 4 found by a targeted top-up search (marked; not counted in the split). More coverage
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (11 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Haaretz | Left | According to the Financial Times, Haaretz does not report its earnings. They were also the first Israeli paper to introduce the paywall. For subscription fees, please see here. source |
| Al Jazeera | Centre-left | Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source |
| CNN | Centre-left | No ownership data found |
| Euronews | Centre-left | Euronews is owned by Alpac Capital, a Portugal-based investment fund that acquired an 88% stake in July 2022, with the remaining 12% held by government-supported broadcasters from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Ownership also has business ties with Hungary’s Viktor Orban. source |
| Middle East Eye | Centre-left | The Middle East Eye lacks transparency as it does not easily provide ownership information. The website requires that you find ownership information on their Terms and Conditions page, which indicates M.E.E Ltd is the owner. The website also does not indicate that Jamal Bessasso is the owner of M.E.E Ltd. source |
| NPR | Centre-left | According to a Columbia Journalism Review article dated 2010, a large portion of NPR’s revenue comes from dues and fees paid by Member stations and corporate sponsorships. In another article by Columbia Journalism Review, they state that as of 2017, NPR receives less than 1 percent of its total funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting(CPB). source |
| The Guardian | Centre-left | The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source |
| Times of Israel | Centre-left | The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source |
| Washington Post | Centre-left | In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source |
| Reuters | Centre | In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source |
| Jerusalem Post | Centre-right | In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source |
Social pulse
This is a signal of what people are discussing, not evidence of what happened. We don't rate the bias of social media posts.
X: 453 posts matching “(settlers OR settler) olive harvest -is:retweet”
AI-generated summary of X posts, written by X. Not verified fact.
Settler Attacks Mar Palestinian Olive Harvest in West Bank
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers and activists during the olive harvest in areas like Masafer Yatta south of Hebron and Wadi Yasuf north of Salfit, with incidents including beatings, crop theft, and blocked access to lands. A Palestinian commission recorded 409 attacks by settlers and forces from October 1 to 21, while Yesh Din noted 125 physical assaults and 168 theft cases in the season's early weeks, amid reports of three deaths. The olive season provides vital income and cultural tradition for thousands of Palestinian families, as rights groups highlight intensified violence this year.
Updated 22 Oct 20:19 UK time · View on X
AI-generated summary of X posts, written by X. Not verified fact.
NYC Comptroller Joins West Bank Olive Harvest Protection Amid Settler Attacks
As olive harvest season begins in the occupied West Bank, farmers face intensified settler attacks including tree destruction, crop theft, and injuries, with UN data showing nearly 200 incidents since early September that exceed last year's total. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander joined the Protect the Harvest coalition alongside groups like Israelis for Peace to offer protective presence and spotlight occupation realities. While some sessions passed peacefully, reports from Amnesty International and others describe economic devastation and cultural loss, as olive trees represent deep family identity; Israeli authorities made arrests, but competing claims highlight violence on both sides.
Updated 20 Oct 18:19 UK time · View on X