Meead Abu al-Rub, a 35-year-old Palestinian lawyer, has gained international recognition after a widely circulated video and a powerful cover photo on the Italian magazine L’Espresso depicted her being harassed and abused by Israeli settlers last October during the olive harvest season.
Recalling the harrowing events of October 12, 2025, Meead, who works with the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, described how she and other activists were peacefully demonstrating against the potential confiscation of Palestinian land in the Suba area of Idhna, southwest of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. “Some of the settlers were wearing military uniforms and carrying weapons,” Meead told 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 L’Espresso cover photo, which quickly went viral, shows an armed settler in military uniform laughing at Meead as he films her. The image sparked significant controversy, with the Israeli government accusing the Italian magazine of antisemitism and publishing a doctored photo. L’Espresso countered by releasing a video of the entire incident, asserting its authenticity. The magazine’s cover text, under the headline “L’Abuso” (The Abuse), highlighted the broader context: “The occupation of the West Bank was carried out with the help of soldiers collaborating with settlers. 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.” Israel’s ambassador in Rome, Jonathan Peled, condemned the cover, calling it a distortion of reality that reinforces stereotypes and hatred. Italian photographer Pietro Masturzo, who captured the image, also released the video to confirm its veracity.
Meead recounted the intensity of the confrontation. She, along with colleagues and activists, was supporting local farmers during the olive harvest, a season often marred by intensified settler attacks and restrictions by the Israeli army. More than 20 settlers, protected by over 30 Israeli soldiers, arrived, threatening and insulting the Palestinians. “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 If we hadn’t cancelled the event and withdrawn, the settlers wouldn’t have hesitated to shoot us directly and kill us because their weapons were ready,” Meead stated. She added, “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.”
Despite her initial courage, Meead now grapples with fear and anxiety due to the photo’s widespread circulation. As a mother of four young children, she worries about potential harassment, arrest, and forced separation from her family, noting the lack of protection for Palestinians in the West Bank against emboldened settlers. However, she finds comfort and motivation in her children’s pride and their understanding of their Palestinian identity. “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,” she shared. “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.”
The global attention brought by the photo and video has also heartened Meead, highlighting the suffering of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to a wider international audience. The Palestinian ambassador to Italy informed her of the extensive international reaction, which exposed the harsh reality of life under the threat of settlement. Meead noted the Israeli government’s strong reaction, initially accusing the magazine of fabrication, then, after the video’s release, accusing it of distorting truth and defaming Jews.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 580 settler attacks resulting in casualties or property damage were documented in more than 190 Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank during 2026. Displacement due to settler violence and access restrictions has also sharply escalated, with more than 1,800 Palestinians newly displaced in 2026 alone, surpassing the total for all of 2025.
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