Yes, Israeli settlers are ripping up West Bank olive trees – but this video is fake
Summary
A video showing olive trees being destroyed in the West Bank by Israeli settlers and soldiers has gone viral online but was found to be fake. The video was created using artificial intelligence and altered to hide its origin.Key Facts
- Palestinian olive trees in the West Bank have often been targeted and destroyed by Israeli settlers and the army.
- A video posted online on October 14, 2026, claimed to show bulldozers ripping out olive trees but was generated by AI.
- Google’s SynthID tool detected a watermark proving the video was made by Gemini, Google’s chatbot.
- The video had a fake thumbs-up image covering the watermark to hide its AI origin.
- The video showed visual mistakes typical for AI, like changing digger parts and trees falling before being hit.
- The fake video was shared more than 200,000 times, including by some official Palestinian accounts.
- Since 2023, at least 100,000 olive trees have been destroyed in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture.
- This case highlights the use of AI to create and spread false information about conflicts in the region.
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