An American journalist recently endured a harrowing attack by Israeli settlers while reporting in the West Bank, shedding light on the escalating violence faced by Palestinians and those documenting their plight.
Jasper Nathaniel, a journalist known for his work covering abuses against Palestinians, shared his experience on the Breaking Points program, detailing the dangers journalists face on the ground and what he describes as complicity by the Israeli military in settler violence.
Nathaniel was covering the olive harvest in Tormuziah, a village near Ramallah, where Palestinians were expecting settler aggression. The harvest is a critical time for the community, with farmers heading out in groups for protection. However, their calm was shattered when Nathaniel and others encountered dozens of violent settlers aggressively blocking roads, menacing them with guns, and launching attacks on Palestinian families and their property.
“I was with a group, mostly Palestinian Americans,” Nathaniel explained. “I was the only white person. We tried to get through, but we were trapped between settlers on one side and an Israeli army Jeep on the other. I got out and raised my hands, asking soldiers for safe passage, but they pointed guns at me and questioned me aggressively.” The soldiers initially promised to help, then abandoned the group, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
As settler mobs swarmed the area, Nathaniel described the chaos: “About 100 settlers charged from the hills, smashing cars, dragging people out, and beating them. I started running for my life.” He witnessed a settler smash the windshield of his car and then violently assault an elderly woman who was picking olives, knocking her unconscious and continuing to beat her even as she lay on the ground. Two European activists were also attacked as Nathaniel sought to assist the woman, who was later admitted to intensive care with a brain hemorrhage.
The town itself was relatively wealthy and predominantly American citizen Palestinian residents had enjoyed some insulation from such attacks in the past. But Nathaniel cautioned this recent violence signaled a grim new reality: “They sent a clear message—this is our land, we will hunt you down and hurt or kill you, no one is safe, not old ladies, not American journalists, not farmers.”
Importantly, Nathaniel emphasized these attacks were not random or fringe actions by isolated individuals. “These settlers operate with coordination and support from the Israeli government and the IDF,” he said. The government often backs settler outposts illegally established on Palestinian land, granting retroactive authorization and providing political and financial support.
Nathaniel also detailed a disturbing exchange with the U.S. Embassy, which he contacted repeatedly seeking protection. According to texts he shared publicly, embassy officials told him that protecting American citizens was the responsibility of the host nation, Israel, and declined to intervene. He described the response as a “drop dead” message from his own government. The embassy itself reportedly acknowledged Israel was falling short on protecting Americans in the West Bank but offered no remedial action.
The interview highlighted the broader pattern of brutality Palestinians and their allies face daily. Nathaniel has documented numerous killings of Palestinian Americans near his location, including close relatives of people he travels with. He pointed to the near impunity with which settlers operate, facilitated by military inaction or active assistance.
Despite the brutality, Nathaniel noted a paradoxical temporary calm during a recent olive harvest, with the IDF patrolling more visibly and taking complaints seriously, though he doubted the peace would last. The police commander acknowledged the severity of the recent videos capturing settler violence, promising investigations that Nathaniel personally doubted would be effective.
Nathaniel’s testimony paints a stark picture of a region where aggressive settlers backed by state power terrorize native Palestinians and reporters alike, and where American diplomatic protection is conspicuously absent. His courage in continuing to report under such conditions brings crucial attention to a crisis often ignored by mainstream narratives.
Watch the full Breaking Points interview with Jasper Nathaniel:
This article is based on an exclusive interview broadcast on Breaking Points with Jasper Nathaniel, an American journalist detailing his experience witnessing settler violence and his interactions with Israeli forces and U.S. officials.
