Israeli authorities announced that they will pursue terror charges against a Jewish extremist accused of brutally beating a 52-year-old Palestinian woman unconscious during an olive harvest last month in the central West Bank.

Police say the suspect — reportedly already known to security officials for previous violent activity — was arrested on November 9. Prosecutors filed a formal declaration against him today, and an indictment is expected on Friday in the Jerusalem District Court. Officials say they will seek to keep him in custody until the end of the legal proceedings.

According to the investigation, the defendant was part of a violent mob of Jewish extremists who attacked Palestinian olive pickers near the village of Turmus Ayya on October 19. Two Palestinians and a foreign activist were injured in the assault. The primary victim, Afaf Abu ‘Olia, sustained a severe head injury after being struck repeatedly and lost consciousness at the scene. She remained hospitalized for a week.

Police say the suspect will be charged with carrying out a racially-motivated terror attack involving severe assault against Abu ‘Olia and others. Authorities also link him to additional violent crimes prior to the harvest assault, including an attempted arson on a police vehicle and attacks targeting both Palestinians and Jews.

The pending indictment comes amid a broader crackdown on Jewish nationalist violence, as Israel faces intensifying domestic and international pressure to confront extremist attacks in the West Bank. In recent days, the West Bank District Police launched a dedicated task force to track and arrest settlers suspected of participating in violent raids on Palestinian communities.

Yesterday, prosecutors filed a similar indictment against a minor accused of taking part in a large-scale attack on a Palestinian factory and farmland in the northern West Bank.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)