Israeli Settlers Injure American Photojournalist Covering West Bank Olive Harvest
The hospitalizing assault on Heidi Levine has drawn international condemnation from media watchdogs and prompted separate investigations by Israeli military and police authorities.
Masked Israeli settlers attacked American freelance photojournalist Heidi Levine on Friday, Oct. 16, in the occupied West Bank. Levine was on assignment for The Washington Post covering the annual olive harvest near the villages of Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya.
The assailants knocked the 64-year-old photographer to the ground, beat her with sticks and kicked her repeatedly. Levine said her helmet and flak jacket, marked with press insignia, saved her life. The attackers also took her camera gear, mobile phone, passport and wallet.
Palestinian medics initially brought Levine to a Ramallah hospital for hand and leg injuries. She was later transferred to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, Israel, where doctors diagnosed four fractured vertebrae requiring surgery.
The attackers came from a nearby hilltop outpost, carrying firearms, clubs and slingshots while burning olive trees and vehicles. Levine and Agence France-Presse estimated the crowd at more than 50 people. Reuters and The Guardian reported the mob numbered approximately 80 people.
The clash near Abu Falah injured at least six Palestinians. Responding Israeli security forces fired tear gas to disperse Palestinians who threw stones back at the settlers. Palestinian authorities reported that settler violence across eight villages injured at least 20 people that day.
The Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray said the newspaper was outraged by the assault and urged an inquiry. Reporters Without Borders and the Foreign Press Association both condemned the violence against journalists in the West Bank. Sara Qudah of the Committee to Protect Journalists said the assault was part of a disturbing pattern targeting reporters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office condemned violence against anyone but claimed video showed people on both sides throwing objects. The office said roughly 200 Palestinians and far-left activists confronted Israeli youths. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariella Mazor said troops trying to disperse the disturbance did not see Levine being beaten.
A United States Embassy spokesperson said protecting American citizens is its highest priority. Ten days earlier, settlers beat Agence France-Presse photojournalist Jaafar Ashtiyeh with rifle butts during the olive harvest. About 500,000 settlers live alongside three million Palestinians in the West Bank in settlements widely considered illegal under international law.
Levine remained hospitalized awaiting surgery for her fractured vertebrae. The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police opened separate investigations to identify the attackers. The military said it would deploy more units to harvest areas and investigate whether responding soldiers engaged in operational misconduct.
