Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten by Israeli settlers while covering a Palestinian olive harvest in the occupied West Bank on Friday, prompting the newspaper to condemn the assault and demand an investigation.
Levine, a veteran photojournalist who has covered conflicts across the Middle East for decades, was knocked to the ground, repeatedly kicked and stripped of her cameras and phone during an attack by masked settlers near the village of Abu Falah, according to The Washington Post. She was hospitalized and is recovering, according to the newspaper, which further confirmed her condition in a statement provided to TheWrap.
The assault highlights the dangers facing journalists documenting escalating settler violence in the West Bank, where attacks against Palestinian communities have intensified during the annual olive harvest. Levine was wearing a protective vest clearly marked “PRESS” on the front and back when she was attacked.
“They just kept kicking me and kicking me, like probably 50 times,” Levine told reporters afterward.
Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray issued a statement condemning the attack and calling for an investigation.
“While we are relieved that Heidi has received medical care and is safe, we are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities,” his statement read.
The violence unfolded as approximately 80 masked settlers descended from a hill overlooking olive groves near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, where Palestinian families had gathered to harvest their crops. Some settlers set trees on fire while others used slings to hurl rocks at villagers, according to Reuters, whose journalists witnessed the confrontation.
Witnesses told the Post that Israeli soldiers failed to intervene as settlers attacked Palestinians and journalists. Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariella Mazor said an initial review found that troops were attempting to disperse a violent crowd and had not witnessed the attack on Levine. She said the military and Israeli police were conducting separate investigations. Mazor added that the military had deployed additional troops to address settler violence and would investigate possible misconduct by soldiers.
The Binyamin Regional Council, which represents Israeli settlements in the area, blamed the confrontation on the Palestinian Authority, alleging it had organized provocateurs to instigate clashes near a nearby settlement. Journalists who witnessed the incident disputed that account, telling the Post that settlers initiated the attack on Palestinians.
Video recorded during the attack showed Levine being struck repeatedly as she lay on the ground, per the Post. A journalist who filmed the assault said the attackers beat her with sticks. Palestinian medics took her to safety before she was hospitalized. Other journalists were also targeted during the violence, and one Palestinian was wounded by gunfire, according to a journalist who witnessed the attack.
The attack came just 10 days after Israeli settlers beat Agence France-Presse photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh with rifle butts while he was covering violence against Palestinian olive farmers near the village of Aqraba.
The incidents come amid a broader surge in settler violence. The United Nations documented more than 1,600 settler attacks resulting in injuries or property damage in the West Bank between January and August, according to the Post.
