Meead Abu al-Rub is watching the widely circulated video footage of her being harassed and abused by Israeli settlers last October during the olive harvest season.
The 35-year-old Palestinian, who is now known around the world after a picture of her being taunted by one of the settlers appeared on the cover of Italian magazine L’Espresso, recalls what happened that day.
“Some of the settlers were wearing military uniforms and carrying weapons,” Meead tells Middle East Eye. “They threatened us, insulted us, and filmed us. The settler who was filming me with his phone was threatening to arrest us all, even though we had not done anything wrong and they were the ones who attacked us.”
The video and photos were taken on 12 October 2025, when Meead, a lawyer with the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, and several other activists were peacefully demonstrating against the possible confiscation of Palestinian land in the Suba area of Idhna, southwest of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
On the L’Espresso cover photo, the settler, armed and wearing military uniform, is seen laughing at Meead as he films her with his phone.
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The image went viral on social media and angered the Israeli government, which accused the Italian magazine of antisemitism and publishing a doctored photo. The magazine responded by publishing a video showing the entire incident.
“The occupation of the West Bank was carried out with the help of soldiers collaborating with settlers,” read the text on L’Espresso’s cover, under the headline “L’Abuso”.
“Gaza was destroyed. Expansion in Lebanon was carried out. The borders in Syria were violated. Iran was attacked. Ethnic cleansing and massacres were committed. This is how the Zionist right wing is shaping Greater Israel.”
Jonathan Peled, Israel’s ambassador in Rome, was quick to condemn the cover, saying it “distorts the complex reality” of the situation and reinforces “stereotypes and hatred”.
Italian photographer Pietro Masturzo, who took the photo, attempted to put an end to the controversy by posting the video clip as part of his report on settlers in the West Bank, coinciding with the magazine’s publication.
He wrote on Instagram: “Many are asking if this image was created using artificial intelligence, while others are pointing to posts claiming so. Well, no, the image in question is not a product of artificial intelligence.”
‘Their weapons were ready’
Speaking to MEE, Meead says that on that October day, she had gone to the Suba area with colleagues and activists as part of a routine action to support local farmers and landowners during the olive harvest.
‘If we hadn’t cancelled the event and withdrawn, the settlers wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot us directly’
– Meead Abu al-Rub
These Palestinians are among thousands who are unable to access their land during the olive harvest season due to intensified settler attacks or being prevented from doing so by the Israeli army.
The event began with participants attempting to pick olives, performing the traditional Palestinian dabke dance, and singing folk songs.
Then more than 20 settlers, protected by more than 30 Israeli soldiers, arrived. They threatened, insulted and filmed the Palestinians, Meead says. The settler in the photograph told the Palestinians they would be arrested and sent to Al-Moskobiya, a notorious Israeli prison.
The settlers were under the protection of the Israeli army, which fired tear gas at the participants.
“They tried to intimidate us and threatened us with arrest. If we hadn’t cancelled the event and withdrawn, the settlers wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot us directly and kill us because their weapons were ready,” Meead says.
“We are constantly subjected to provocations and attacks by settlers during events like these. I wasn’t afraid of the settlers’ provocations, their filming, or even their weapons,” she adds.
The Palestinian owner of the land told the activists it wasn’t safe and that they should leave, but several young men remained. Meead says the settler in the photograph had been provoking and threatening participants from the beginning of the event, and that the settlers had tried to physically assault them.
Fear and fame
Meead doesn’t hide her fear and anxiety now that the photo has gone viral. She worries that she might face harassment from settlers and the Israeli army, possibly even arrest.
Palestinians in the West Bank are offered little to no protection from settlers, who are protected and emboldened by the Israeli army.
“I wasn’t afraid of them during the event, but now, after the photo’s widespread circulation, fear has crept into my heart,” Meead says. “I’m a mother of four children, the oldest is seven and the youngest is a year and a half. They’re making me afraid of the photo’s massive spread and the possibility of being forcibly separated from them.”
Despite her anxiety, Meead feels comforted when her children tell her that their friends have seen the video and have expressed admiration for her and her courage. Her children tell Meead they are very proud of her.
“This gives me even more motivation,” she says. “My father instilled in me a love for my land, and I’m happy that I’ve passed this on to my children, who share the same love and sense of belonging.
“When I go out to events, they ask to come with me and say, ‘We’re Palestinians too, just like you.’ This proves that our cause isn’t forgotten by the young, as Israel hopes, but is far too deeply rooted to be forgotten,” Meead says.
She is also heartened by the attention the world is now paying to the suffering of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian ambassador to Italy contacted Meead and told her how widely the video and photo were being spread and the extent of international reaction to them, how they had shown to a wider audience the reality of life under the threat of settlement.
“The Israeli reaction was harsh, accusing the newspaper of fabricating the image. When the newspaper published the video showing settlers and soldiers attacking a peaceful demonstration, Israel accused it of trying to distort the truth and defame Jews,” Meead says.
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According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 580 settler attacks resulting in casualties, property damage, or both, have been documented in more than 190 Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank during 2026.
Among these, at least 47 attacks targeted 36 communities between 31 March and 6 April.
Displacement resulting from settler violence and access restrictions have also escalated sharply this year.
As of 6 April, more than 1,800 Palestinians have been newly displaced this year, exceeding the total number displaced by settler violence in all of 2025.