A gang of masked israelis beat our @NBCNews team & pummelled the woman we were interviewing unconscious

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Israeli settler violenceWest Bank displacementPalestinian human rightsNews crew safety and journalism under threatAccountability and investigation

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NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley and his crew were attacked by armed masked settlers while documenting the situation of Palestinians living under settler occupation in the West Bank. The team had been interviewing Aida Ahmed Abdullah, a Palestinian woman whose home is now occupied by Israeli settlers, when a gray car with Israeli license plates arrived and the occupants attacked the journalists and Aida with clubs and stones, smashing the news vehicle's windshield and beating Aida unconscious. Matt Bradley was hit twice on the arm, and other crew members—the producer, cameraman, and driver—sustained injuries; Aida was hospitalised. The incident reflects a broader surge of settler violence in the West Bank, with the United Nations reporting 76 Palestinian deaths by settlers so far that year, including 18 children. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee both condemned the violence, Israeli military and border police opened an investigation but made no arrests. Aida, who described living in constant distress watching her home be occupied, remains displaced and unable to return.

Key Points

An NBC News team, including correspondent Matt Bradley, was attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the West Bank while reporting on Palestinian displacement. The crew and a Palestinian woman they were interviewing were beaten with clubs and sticks; multiple team members were injured.

Summary

NBC News correspondent Matt Bradley and his crew were attacked by armed masked settlers while documenting the situation of Palestinians living under settler occupation in the West Bank. The team had been interviewing Aida Ahmed Abdullah, a Palestinian woman whose home is now occupied by Israeli settlers, when a gray car with Israeli license plates arrived and the occupants attacked the journalists and Aida with clubs and stones, smashing the news vehicle's windshield and beating Aida unconscious. Matt Bradley was hit twice on the arm, and other crew members—the producer, cameraman, and driver—sustained injuries; Aida was hospitalised. The incident reflects a broader surge of settler violence in the West Bank, with the United Nations reporting 76 Palestinian deaths by settlers so far that year, including 18 children. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee both condemned the violence, Israeli military and border police opened an investigation but made no arrests. Aida, who described living in constant distress watching her home be occupied, remains displaced and unable to return.

Key takeaways

An NBC News team was attacked by masked Israeli settlers while reporting on Palestinian displacement in the West Bank, resulting in injuries to multiple crew members and a Palestinian woman being beaten unconscious.
The attack occurred while the team was interviewing Aida Ahmed Abdullah, whose home has been occupied by Israeli settlers, and she described experiencing constant distress over the situation.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of settler violence; the UN reported 76 Palestinian deaths by settlers that year, including 18 children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee both publicly condemned the settler violence as breaking the law and criminal activity.
Israeli military and border police opened an investigation and confiscated vehicles but reported no arrests following the attack.
The attacked Palestinian woman remains displaced and has not been able to return to her occupied home despite hospital treatment.

Full article

Surge of Settler Violence in the West Bank

There has been a new rash in recent weeks of Israeli settler violence against Palestinian families living on the West Bank of the Jordan River. Yesterday, our NBC News team, including international correspondent Matt Bradley, was caught in the middle of one such incident. Matt is back safely in Tel Aviv this morning, though he is still recovering from the attack.

Account of the Attack

Every member of the NBC News team was targeted during the violence. Matt Bradley was hit twice on the arm, and the producer, cameraman, and one of the drivers all took hits as well, though the team is recovering from the injuries. The crew had been interviewing a Palestinian woman named Aida Ahmed Abdullah, whose home in the West Bank is now occupied by Israeli settlers. She described living under constant distress, saying she dies a hundred times a day watching what is happening to her home.

As Aida took the journalists closer to her home, masked young men in a gray car with Israeli license plates arrived armed with sticks and stones. They smashed the news team's car windshield, hit crew members with clubs, and beat Aida unconscious. The team was able to get her to an ambulance, and their crew members were treated for minor injuries at the hospital.

Broader Context and Response

The attack comes amid a broader surge of settler violence across the West Bank in recent weeks. According to the United Nations, 76 Palestinians have been killed by settlers so far this year, including 18 children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement yesterday accusing the settlers of breaking the law and damaging Israel's standing in the world. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who has long been an outspoken defender of Israel, has harshly criticized what he calls Israeli terrorists, demanding the government crack down on the violence. Earlier this month, Huckabee stated: "We're appalled at some of the things that have happened to families who are the victims of just criminal activity. That is inexcusable and repugnant."

Israel's military and border police said they opened an investigation into yesterday's attack and confiscated vehicles belonging to the rioters. However, there were no reports of arrests. While Aida has left the hospital and is recovering, she is not recovering at home—her home remains occupied by the violent settlers.

Topics#Israeli settler violence#West Bank displacement#Palestinian human rights#News crew safety and journalism under threat#Accountability and investigation#UN casualty reports

Transcript

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0:00 There has been a new rash in recent weeks of Israeli settler violence against Palestinian families living on the west bank of the Jordan River.

0:07 Yesterday, our NBC news team, including international correspondent Matt Bradley, was caught in the middle of it.

0:14 Matt is back safely in Tel Aviv this morning.

0:16 Matt.

0:17 I am glad you're safe.

0:18 After what we should warn our viewers was an incredibly disturbing incident.

0:23 Yeah.

0:24 Thanks, Willie.

0:25 I'm safe.

0:25 I'm recovering.

0:26 I got hit twice on the arm.

0:29 Actually, every member of my team, including the producer, uh, the cameraman and one of the drivers we were with, they all took hits, but we're all recovering well.

0:41 We were interviewing a Palestinian woman yesterday named Aida Ahmed Abdullah.

0:45 Her home in the West Bank, now occupied by Israeli settlers.

0:49 She says she dies a hundred times a day.

0:52 Watching this scene, as Aida took us closer to her home, masked young men in a gray car with Israeli license plates armed with sticks and stones rushed on the scene.

1:05 They smashed our car windshield, hit our crew with clubs and beat Aida unconscious.

1:10 Are you okay?

1:12 Are you okay?

1:13 I said we were able to get her to an ambulance and our team was treated for minor injuries.

1:20 The attack comes amid a surge of settler violence across the West Bank in recent weeks.

1:25 So far this year, 76 Palestinians have been killed by settlers, according to the United Nations.

1:30 Among them 18 children.

1:32 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of turning a blind eye to the violence, released a statement yesterday accusing the settlers of breaking the law and damaging Israel's standing in the world.

1:43 And U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, long an outspoken defender of Israel, has harshly criticized what he calls Israeli terrorists, demanding the government crack down on them, saying earlier this month we're appalled at some of the things that have happened to families who are the victims of just criminal activity.

2:03 That is inexcusable and repugnant.

2:05 Israel's military and border police said they opened an investigation into yesterday's attack and confiscated vehicles belonging to rioters, but there were no reports of arrests.

2:17 And Willie, I can tell you that Ida is recovering.

2:20 She has left the hospital, but she's not recovering at home.

2:24 Her home is still occupied by those violent settlers.

2:27 Willie, we are relieved to hear Ida is out of the hospital, that you and the team are safe after a truly appalling attack there.

2:35 Matt Bradley in Tel Aviv.

2:37 Thank you for bringing us that story.

2:38 We appreciate it.

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