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An organisation representing international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories Monday condemned attacks by Israeli settlers on journalists in the occupied West Bank, urging Israeli authorities to halt the "violence immediately".The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents hundreds of foreign journalists, said it was "appalled" by the recent attacks, especially during this year's olive harvest."Journalists, both local and foreign, have proven to be a clear target as they document an unprecedented level of unchecked violence against Palestinians during this year's olive harvest," the association said, citing two incidents involving journalists from international media outlets.The FPA said that on Saturday two employees of Reuters wearing clearly marked press vests and helmets were assaulted by masked Israeli civilians armed with clubs and rocks near the Palestinian village of Beita."A mob of dozens of settlers beat one of the employees, a female reporter, while she was already on the ground, resulting in severe injuries," the FPA said."They also attacked those who tried to help her. A Reuters security person was hit, and two Palestinian freelance journalists were injured while being chased." On October 10, settlers beat a veteran AFP photographer with sticks when filming the olive harvest in the same area.His car, along with a handful of others parked at a safe distance from the field, was stoned and then set on fire by the assailants."The photographer, who testified it was one of the worst attacks in his 30-year career, reported that Israeli forces at the scene refused to intervene, instead firing rubber bullets and tear gas at olive pickers and activists accompanying them," the FPA said.Several such incidents have occurred in the last few weeks, the FPA added."Israeli forces routinely harass and intimidate journalists, in some cases detaining them and threatening them with deportation," the FPA said."This is all part of a deepening climate of hostility toward the media by Israeli authorities," it added, urging the authorities to investigate the incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable."In particular, we urge central command head Major General Avi Bluth and police commander Moshe Pinchi to uphold their duties to ensure that journalists can work freely and safely," the association said."There cannot be press freedom in an environment in which journalists are threatened and harmed with complete impunity." When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not give an immediate response.An AFP journalist serves on the FPA's board of directors.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and Israeli settlements there are expanding. Some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the Palestinian territory and some of them have also attacked farmers trying to access their olive trees almost every day this year since the season began in mid-October, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.Almost none of the perpetrators have been held to account by the Israeli authorities. Violence in the West Bank has soared since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.

Settlers stormed the compound of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing eyewitnesses, the settlers entered the mosque in groups, conducted provocative tours within its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces. Al-Aqsa Mosque has been subjected to increasing incursions by settlers since the start of the genocidal war, which constitutes a dangerous escalation and a violation of the sanctity of the mosque.

Hundreds gathered Wednesday in a village of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to mourn a young man who the Palestinian health ministry said was killed by Israeli settler gunfire.Friends and relatives of 20-year-old Said al-Naasan, killed on Tuesday in Al-Mughayyir, carried his body through the village wrapped in a Palestinian flag with his head covered by a traditional keffiyeh.The Ramallah-based health ministry said in a statement that Naasan was killed “by settler gunfire”, while the Israeli military said an off-duty soldier had fired shots after Palestinians had thrown stones.The village’s mayor, Amin Abu Aliya, said that residents on Tuesday evening saw “several armed settlers herding cattle near homes on the eastern side (of the village)”.“They opened fire on residents there, critically wounding the martyr, who later died from his wounds,” Abu Aliya added.In response to a question from AFP, the Israeli military said the incident occurred during “a violent confrontation in which a dozen Palestinians hurled rocks at Israeli civilians in a pasture in the area of Al-Mughayyir”, using a term it usually uses to refer to settlers. Israeli settlers in the West Bank also serve in the army, and sometimes carry their weapons with them when off duty.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.In a separate incident, the Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces shot dead a man in his 20s in the West Bank town of Anza Wednesday. In a statement, the Israeli military said that during “operational activity in the area of Anza, a fighter hurled an explosive device towards (Israeli) soldiers operating in the area.”“The soldiers responded with fire and eliminated the fighter,” it said, adding there were no injuries to Israeli troops. Violence in the West Bank has soared since the October 2023 Hamas storming of Israel.Since then, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 981 Palestinians in the West Bank, including many fighters, according to health ministry figures.

Singapore said on Monday it will impose targeted sanctions on leaders of Israeli settler groups and would recognise a Palestine state under the right conditions.Western and other nations have been taking an increasingly hard line against settler groups and some Israeli officials they accuse of fomenting violence, while global recognition is growing of Palestinians' aspiration for an independent homeland.Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, speaking in parliament, chided those Israeli politicians who have spoken about annexing parts of the West Bank or Gaza, the two Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories."We call on the Israeli government to cease settlement construction and expansion," he said, citing the so-called E1 settlement project as fragmenting the West Bank."We oppose ongoing attempts to create new facts on the ground which undermine the prospects for a two-state solution."More details on the sanctions would be released at a later date, he said.Balakrishnan said it was a matter of when not if Singapore recognises a Palestinian state and that the nation is waiting for an "appropriate constellation" of factors, including a need for an effective Palestinian government that accepts Israel's right to exist and categorically renounces terrorism."Ultimately, to resolve this long-standing conflict in a comprehensive, just and durable manner, there needs to be a negotiated settlement which results in two states, one Israeli (and) one Palestinian, with their peoples living alongside each other in peace, security and dignity," he added.Most of the international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the area and saying the settlements provide security.While Singapore and Israel have shared close diplomatic and military ties since the former gained independence in 1965, the city-state in 2024 voted in favour of numerous resolutions expressing support for U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state.

Settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem on Sunday, under the protection of the Israeli occupation police. The Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), quoting eyewitnesses, reported that settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque and performed Talmudic rituals.The so-called 'Temple Mount' organizations continue to mobilize as many settlers as possible to carry out large-scale collective incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish holiday season.Since 2003, settlers have been storming Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli occupation forces five days a week. In the past ten years, they began performing silent public prayers during their incursions, escalating to performing Talmudic rituals and raising the flag of the occupying state inside the mosque.The Temple Mount organizations are seeking to gradually impose the presence of Talmudic ritual tools in Al-Aqsa, representing a clear escalation aimed at changing the Islamic character of the mosque.Since the beginning of the comprehensive Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank in October 2023, more than 68,000 settlers have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of occupation forces, amid tightened entry procedures to the mosque and its surrounding Old City entrances.

President of the European Council Antonio Costa welcomed the European Commission's proposals to suspend certain trade provisions of the Association Agreement with the Israeli Entity and impose sanctions on extremist ministers and violent settlers.In a post on the X platform, Costa confirmed that the decision is now in the hands of member states, emphasizing that these measures aim to send a clear message that Europe cannot accept the Israeli government's policies in Gaza and the West Bank.Costa described the situation in Gaza as catastrophic and unacceptable, calling for an immediate ceasefire, full access to humanitarian aid, and the unconditional release of hostages.Earlier, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced that she had submitted a proposal to the European Council calling for sanctions against extremist ministers in the Israeli occupation government and violent settlers, and for the suspension of certain provisions related to trade exchange in the EU-Israel Association Agreement.