Conservative commentator Candace Owens is facing criticism after using a clash in Samaria to accuse religious Jews of raising “brainwashed psychos.” She claimed the incident reveals “what they have planned for America.”
The confrontation took place on October 16, 2026, near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah, beside an Israeli hilltop community northeast of Ramallah. A large group of Palestinians, foreign activists, and journalists arrived at olive groves near the community. A clash broke out with Israeli residents, and Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was injured. Levine says Israelis attacked her. Israeli police and the Shin Bet are investigating, and no arrests have been made.
Within hours, the story spread around the world as another case of “settler violence.” Owens posted that Americans fund such clashes and accused religious Jews of breeding violent extremists “under the guise of religion.”
A Planned Provocation
Israeli officials describe a very different event from the one in the headlines. The Binyamin Regional Council, which represents Israeli communities in the area, said the Palestinian Authority organized the gathering to provoke a confrontation. According to the council, hundreds of Palestinians and anarchists arrived with journalists and threw stones and fired fireworks directly at Israelis, so cameras could film the Israeli response.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said the Palestinians far outnumbered the Israelis and that people on both sides hurled objects. The IDF said it would examine all the circumstances. It warned that attempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area.
Video from the day also challenges the image of peaceful farmers ambushed in their groves. Journalist Kassy Akiva posted footage of masked Palestinian men carrying clubs at the harvest site.
Verdict Before Evidence
The Prime Minister’s Office urged the public and the press to wait for evidence before drawing conclusions. “The more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence,” the office said, warning that reputational damage from premature conclusions may already be done by the time the facts are examined.
Foreign governments and media outlets condemned Israel before police identified a single suspect. Critics say the pattern repeats every olive harvest. Activists bring cameras to flashpoint areas, a confrontation follows, and the world hears only one version of events.
Israel’s response undercuts Owens’s central claim. A country that breeds and protects violent extremists does not send its domestic security agency to investigate its own citizens. Israeli authorities have opened a full investigation and pledged to hold those responsible accountable.
What American Aid Actually Funds
Owens also told her followers that American taxpayers pay for such clashes. U.S. security assistance to Israel funds missiles, jets, and Iron Dome interceptors that defend Israel against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. It does not fund confrontations on a hillside in Samaria. The Israeli security forces that America helps support are the same forces now investigating the incident.
Blaming an Entire People
Investigators are still working to establish what happened near Abu Falah. Owens did not wait for their findings. Instead, she used a single local clash to condemn religious Jews everywhere.
When a verdict comes before the evidence and falls on an entire people, it is no longer commentary on the news. It is antisemitism.
https://x.com/RealCandaceO/status/2111116153309253655, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-journalist-heidi-levine-injured-west-bank-clashes-settlers/, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-17/violent-west-bank-clashes-during-olive-harvest/107278284, https://www.israel.com/news/us-photojournalist-heidi-levine-hurt-as-settlers-hit-olive-harvest-at-abu-falah, https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/media/washington-post-journalist-israeli-settler-attack-intl, https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkenikm2mx, https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2111497338808140140,
