American Journalist Jasper Nathaniel was attacked in the Olive Groves near Turmus’ayya by Armed Israeli Settlers
October 19, 2025 – The first day of the olive harvest in the occupied West Bank is a lifeline for Palestinian families — a seasonal ritual that is also a cultural declaration of belonging. But on October 19, in the fields near the village of Turmus’ayya, it became a scene of calculated violence.
What began as a routine olive-picking expedition, joined by American journalist Jasper Nathaniel, who sought to document it, quickly turned into a brutal ambush. Nathaniel explicitly accuses the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of deliberately leading him and others into a trap set by armed Israeli settlers.
Nathaniel’s posts and footage paint a damning picture: a group of Palestinian farmers, accompanied by international observers, were allegedly escorted by IDF soldiers deep into the olive fields north of Ramallah. Instead of offering protection, Nathaniel claims, they were guided directly into an onslaught.
“On the first day of the olive harvest in Turmus’ayyer, the Israeli Defense Force leads a group of farmers directly into a brutal ambush by armed settlers,” Nathaniel wrote on X.
The trap, which involved over 100 Israeli settlers wielding clubs, metal rods, and stones, left multiple people injured. An elderly Palestinian woman was repeatedly struck in the head with a club, leaving her unconscious and in critical condition.
Settlers have targeted the annual zaytoun harvest for years, seeking to expand illegal outposts by uprooting trees and attacking harvesters. This year, the presence of IDF soldiers in Turmus’ayya suggested a rare moment of safety.
But according to Nathaniel’s nine-minute video and other eyewitness accounts, the soldiers instead directed the group into a narrow, exposed area. The clip quickly devolves from tense exchanges to chaos: shouts, flying rocks, and a mob of settlers surging forward. Nathaniel, filming while trying to flee, captures settlers chasing the group across the rough terrain.
The immediate aftermath was horrific. Photos shared by Nathaniel show the elderly woman crumpled on the ground. “Many injuries, including a woman knocked unconscious with a club and beaten repeatedly,” he wrote. In a follow-up video, Nathaniel reaches the safety of a car where family members are frantically tending to the woman.
The most explosive claim is the active involvement of the IDF. Nathaniel claims the soldiers were fully aware of the settlers’ presence and actively guided the convoy into what he calls the “kill zone” before abandoning them. “I have it all on video,” he stated, promising uploads once he secured cell service.
The footage shows IDF vehicles positioning the group in a valley flanked by hills — an ideal location for an ambush. As the settlers charged, the military jeeps accelerated and drove away, leaving the farmers and journalists completely exposed.
This pattern of IDF complicity in settler violence is not new. Human rights groups like B’Tselem have long documented instances where Israeli soldiers have stood by during attacks or, as in this case, provided “escorts” that vanish at critical moments. Nathaniel, a U.S. citizen, says the setup felt deliberate.
After fleeing the fields, Nathaniel contacted the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for help. His account of their response is a damning indictment of U.S. policy.
Screenshots show the embassy’s text exchange, which Nathaniel captioned: “The US Embassy said that no, they cannot protect me.”
This refusal appears to underscore a broader U.S. policy of deference to Israel, even when its own citizens’ lives are at risk. Nathaniel has previously highlighted similar cases, including the killing of 20-year-old Palestinian American Sayfollah Mussalet by settlers in July 2025, whose family received no justice from Washington. Today, with his own life threatened, the embassy’s inaction sends a chilling message: American journalists in the West Bank are considered expendable in the eyes of their government.
The ambush in Turmus’ayya is not an isolated incident. It’s part of a surging wave of settler attacks. UN data shows a tripling of these assaults since October 2023, leading to the displacement of over 1,200 Palestinians and the killing of dozens. Journalists like Nathaniel risk their safety daily to chronicle this reality.
The human cost is staggering: families grieving, sons fearing every harvest, and journalists dodging stones while their pleas for protection are dismissed. As Nathaniel runs through the video, his camera shaking, a settler can be heard yelling in Hebrew: “Get out of here!“—a command that was effectively enforced by the IDF’s hasty retreat.
Demands for justice are mounting. Nathaniel’s footage, now circulating globally, serves as compelling evidence: the IDF must face scrutiny for its role, settlers must be prosecuted, and the U.S. Embassy must provide more than a curt denial to its citizens in peril. As a New York state resident, Nathaniel called on state representatives, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congressman Daniel Goldman.
“I’ll have much more to say about what’s happening in Turmus’ayya soon,” he said on X. For now, a question to my reps…is your unconditional support for Israel worth more to you than the life of your own constituent?”
This attack comes just a few weeks after President Donald J. Trump demanded Israel commit to a ceasefire in Gaza. However, in the days since the ceasefire has taken hold, the Israeli military has killed hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and continues to do so.