- ‘The image reflects only a small part of a daily reality Palestinians live through -- not just during the olive harvest, but in all aspects of life’ lawyer says
Palestinian lawyer Miead Abu al-Rub says she has faced an incitement campaign by Israeli occupiers following the circulation of a photograph showing her during an assault on activists in the southern West Bank -- an image that later appeared on the cover of Italy’s L’Espresso magazine.
In an interview with Anadolu, Abu al-Rub said the photo, taken in late 2025 in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron, captures only a limited glimpse of the daily hardships faced by Palestinians.
The image, which recently appeared on the magazine’s cover, moved from a fleeting moment in the field to a widely circulated media and political symbol, drawing mixed reactions locally and internationally.
It shows an armed Israeli soldier pointing a phone at Abu al-Rub in a scene described as carrying elements of "assault" as part of broader coverage of Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories and rising occupiers’ violence.
The cover prompted official Israeli criticism, with Israel’s ambassador to Rome, Jonathan Peled, accusing the magazine of “distorting reality.” The publication, however, defended its work as “balanced journalism” and released video footage documenting the moment the photo was taken.
Daily suffering
Abu al-Rub, a lawyer with the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, said the photo was taken on Dec. 12, 2025, while she was participating in an activity to support Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season in Idhna.
“We arrived in the morning to assist farmers, but we were attacked by Israeli occupiers under the protection of the Israeli army in an attempt to force us off the land,” she said.
The group faced threats and provocations, with tear gas and live fire used to force them to retreat, she added.
“The image reflects only a small part of a daily reality Palestinians live through -- not just during the olive harvest, but in all aspects of life,” she said.
Abu al-Rub stressed that what appears in the photo is “not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of repeated practices on the ground.”
“The issue is not a single occupier in uniform or a passing moment, but a system of behavior carried out under the protection of the Israeli army,” she said.
The lawyer warned that such practices include assaults on civilians, pepper spray attacks, harassment of shepherds, arson of property, and repeated denial of access to land.
The aim, she said, is “to pressure Palestinians to leave their land, paving the way for settlement expansion.”
Incitement
Abu al-Rub said the image’s spread triggered a “wide incitement campaign” by occupiers-affiliated accounts, raising concerns not only for her safety but also for her children.
“I am a mother of four, and my real fear is for them, especially in an unsafe environment,” she said.
She recalled a previous incident in which occupiers attacked her family’s vehicle as they were returning from a visit.
“My children were in the car. The attack led to the vehicle being smashed and caused severe fear among them,” she said.
She added that her children continue to suffer psychological effects, including fear of sleeping alone.
Abu al-Rub also said she had previously been assaulted while participating in a field activity during an advanced stage of pregnancy, requiring hospitalization.
While she acknowledged that international attention to the image is important for documentation, she said “it is insufficient to convey the full scale of suffering.”
“The issue is not the image itself, but the reality it reflects -- a reality that has persisted for years and is clearly escalating,” she said.
‘We will remain on our land’
Abu al-Rub emphasized Palestinians’ attachment to their land, describing it as a matter of identity rather than economics.
“The more pressure increases, the more we hold on to it, because we believe in our right to remain,” she said.
She warned that attacks have “escalated significantly, particularly with the increased arming of occupiers.”
“These practices are meant to intimidate us, but they will not force us to leave,” she said. “We will remain on our land and continue to defend it no matter what the challenges.”
About 750,000 Israeli occupiers live in hundreds of illegal settlements across the West Bank, including around 250,000 in East Jerusalem. They are widely accused of carrying out repeated attacks aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians.
According to the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, the Israeli occupiers carried out 497 attacks in March alone, killing nine Palestinians.
Since October 2023, more than 1,148 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, with about 11,750 injured and nearly 22,000 detained amid escalating violence.
In a landmark opinion in July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
