Masked Israeli settlers attack NBC News crew and Palestinian family in West Bank
Masked Settlers Attack NBC News Crew in West Bank
A group of masked men armed with sticks stormed an NBC News crew while it was interviewing a Palestinian woman and her family in the West Bank on Saturday, prompting a swift condemnation from Israel’s Prime Minister and a broader debate over settler violence in the region.
According to NBC’s own footage released early Sunday, the assault began when a gray vehicle bearing Israeli license plates pulled up beside the reporters. Men in masks leapt from the car and began pummeling the crew and the woman, Aida Ahmed Abdullah. “They smashed our car windshield, hit our crew with clubs and beat Aida unconscious,” reported international correspondent Matt Bradley on the program “Sunday Today.” Bradley said he was struck twice on the arm but was recovering well, and NBC staffers who were present received medical treatment for non‑life‑threatening injuries.
The woman, who was interviewed by the team in a residential area adjacent to Palestinian houses, was taken to a local hospital after the attack. “We were in the middle of a Palestinian area next to Palestinian houses,” said cameraman Khaldoon Eid, who lives in the region. A second NBC producer, Lawahez Jabari, told NBC Digital that the attackers had sticks and that he saw a gun, but the weapon was not fired.
The incident has drawn sharp rebukes from Israeli officials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the assault “a grave injustice” and said it was “the work of a handful of rioters” that “harms Israel’s standing in the world.” He added that the violence was part of a broader pattern, noting that settlers had been encircling homes in Qusra since August 9 in what human‑rights groups described as an attempt to seize privately owned Palestinian land. Haaretz reported that the settlers have been moving freely in full view of Israeli soldiers, who have failed to enforce the order barring Israelis from the area.
Doron Spielman, a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office, echoed the Prime Minister’s condemnation. In a video posted to social media before the NBC story aired, Spielman said the attackers “violate the law, endanger both Jews and Arabs, interfere with the Israel Defense Forces as they carry out vital security missions, and harm Israel’s international legitimacy.” He added that Israel would not tolerate “vigilantism of any kind.”
While the immediate incident is being investigated, the attack underscores a pattern of violence that has escalated in the West Bank over recent months. Settlers’ encirclements of Palestinian homes and the presence of armed individuals have become increasingly common, raising concerns among human‑rights groups and the international community about the safety of journalists and civilians alike.
NBC News has not yet responded to requests for additional comment. The network’s coverage of the incident highlights the risks faced by reporters covering the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict, and the broader tensions that continue to flare up across the region.
