Illegal settlers severely beat Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine while attacking Palestinian olive harvesters, as witnesses accused soldiers of inaction.
Key Takeaways
- Illegal settlers kicked and beat Heidi Levine, breaking a rib and injuring a hand that requires surgery, despite her clearly marked press vest.
- Witnesses described a coordinated assault on Palestinian olive harvesters near Abu Falah, with groves burned, stones thrown and one Palestinian reportedly shot.
- The UN demanded an investigation, while witnesses said Israeli soldiers failed to stop the attackers and instead fired tear gas at Palestinians.
Photographer Beaten During Attack on Olive Harvesters
Illegal Israeli Jewish settlers severely beat Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine on Friday during a coordinated attack on Palestinian families harvesting olives near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, the newspaper reported.
Levine was wearing a protective vest marked “PRESS” on both sides when attackers knocked her down, repeatedly kicked her and took her cameras and phone.
She received treatment at hospitals in Ramallah and Israel for lacerations and a broken rib. She will also require hand surgery after a finger was torn open, exposing bone.
“They just kept kicking me and kicking me, like probably 50 times,” Levine said.
Video recorded by another journalist showed attackers repeatedly striking her while she lay on the ground.
According to The Post, eyewitnesses said dozens of masked men dressed in black descended from the nearby illegal settlement of Meshulash, set olive groves ablaze and hurled stones with slings at Palestinian harvesters.
American journalist Jasper Nathaniel said the attackers’ preparations were visible before the assault.
“In this case, we could see them preparing for an attack, dozens of them all at once,” he told The Post.
Journalist Oren Ziv said one Palestinian was wounded by gunfire. Nathaniel also reported seeing two attackers carrying automatic weapons in the back of a pickup.
Palestinian youths pushed the attackers back, allowing journalists to reach Levine and help her toward the village. After medics evacuated her, illegal settlers charged again and struck journalists with rocks.
Witnesses Say Soldiers Failed to Stop Attack
Several journalists said Israeli soldiers were present but failed to stop the assault.
Video journalist Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, known as Andrey X, said troops fired tear gas at Palestinians and “did absolutely nothing about the settlers.”
Ziv similarly said military vehicles passed through without attempting to control the masked attackers.
“This actually gave confidence to the settlers to attack,” he said, according to The Pot.
Eyewitnesses reported that soldiers later parked beside illegal settlers who remained masked and carried sticks and slings, then fired tear gas toward Palestinians.
“The army did nothing to stop the settlers,” Ziv said.
The Post reported that Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariella Mazor claimed that an initial review indicated that troops were dispersing a large, violent crowd and had not seen the assault on Levine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said the circumstances remained unclear. He cited a competing account alleging that hundreds of Palestinians and left-wing activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths.
Journalists at the scene, however, described a coordinated attack initiated by men descending from the illegal settlement.
UN and Washington Post Demand Investigation
The UN called Friday for a thorough investigation and protection for journalists working in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu reported.
“We want to make sure that this will be investigated thoroughly, and that all further harassment of journalists is prevented,” deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray condemned the assault, emphasizing Levine’s visible identification as a journalist.
“We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities,” he said.
Levine’s assault came 10 days after illegal settlers beat Agence France-Presse photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh with rifle butts in Aqraba, according to The Post.
The newspaper cited UN figures documenting more than 1,600 attacks by illegal settlers causing injuries or property damage between January and August.
Prosecutions remain rare. The rights group Yesh Din said an August indictment of an illegal settler over the killing of a Palestinian activist was the first such charge against an Israeli civilian since 2019.
(PC, Washington Post, AA)