Russian Activist Adele Shoko Reports Settler Assault in Umm al-Khair

Adele Shoko, a Russian activist, said that armed Israeli settlers attacked her in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair on October 29. The incident occurred in the Masafer Yatta area of the occupied West Bank. Shoko posted details of the event on the social media platform X.

Shoko said she was beaten and threatened alongside two colleagues: Jasper Nathaniel, a journalist from the United States, and Andrey X, an Israeli-Russian activist. The group said the settlers stole equipment and personal items during the confrontation. Shoko stated that 32 items were seized in total.

“Jasper and I were also beaten. Jasper was then pepper-sprayed and arrested,” Shoko wrote. She added that Israeli forces took Nathaniel away after the initial beating. Video footage posted by Shoko shows several men, some of them armed, striking Nathaniel and X. Another clip shows authorities leading Nathaniel away as he shouts that he had just been beaten.

Shoko said Andrey X suffered a concussion and lost consciousness multiple times during the incident. She claimed he was denied hospital treatment despite his condition. “Andrey was severely beaten and lost consciousness several times in front of police. Despite this, he was denied hospital treatment. He was put in an ambulance, but instead of being taken to hospital, he was taken to a police station. He is still there, arrested and being denied medical care,” she wrote.

The incident follows a similar attack on October 16 in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah. Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting olives, setting trees on fire and throwing stones with slingshots. Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, who covered that event, was beaten, robbed, and hospitalized. A Palestinian man was shot in the leg by Israeli soldiers who arrived on the scene.

Levine said settlers repeatedly kicked and beat her on the ground while she wore a protective vest marked “PRESS.” They stole her passport, phone, and camera equipment. Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray condemned the “unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job.” Several US lawmakers called for an investigation into the violence.

Shoko said the assault in Umm al-Khair was part of a pattern of violence against observers in the region. She noted that the group was documenting settler activity when the attack began. Nathaniel and X have not released further public statements since the incident.