West Bankupdated 2h ago2 min read
Israeli Settlers Attack Washington Post Photojournalist Heidi Levine Near Abu Falah
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Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was assaulted by masked Israeli settlers in Abu Falah. She was hospitalized with multiple injuries after the attack.
36 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Israeli Colonizers Fire Live Ammunition, Injure 19 Palestinians During Olive Harvest Near Ramallah →
The Jerusalem Post was read line by line by the Watchdog: 6.6. See the score →
Abu Falah assault
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and journalists in the occupied West Bank with slingshots and rocks around the village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah, during the yearly olive harvest. Heidi Levine, a veteran Washington Post photojournalist, said she saw “at least 50 masked men” and described being attacked after her flak jacket and helmet did not stop settlers from beating her and stealing her camera and phone.
The IDF said it would examine “all circumstances surrounding the incident” and stated that, upon arriving, forces acted to disperse the confrontation using riot dispersal means. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the circumstances around the Abu Falah attacks “remain unclear,” while it also said “serious questions remain” about what happened and argued that people on “both sides” were “hurling objects.”
Levine, stitches, and strikes
Heitham Nouvait, a Palestinian-American citizen, said settlers assaulted him in the town of Burqa northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank while he was harvesting his olive crop, and he later told Al Jazeera he suffered head wounds requiring about 200 stitches. Nouvait told Al Jazeera that “about 50 settlers attacked them and tried to prevent them from continuing their work on their lands,” and he said five settlers pounded him with sticks until he lost consciousness again.
Washington condemned the “criminal violence” in the occupied West Bank and a State Department official said Washington “stands ready to provide consular support to the American photographer Heidi Levine.” Heidi Levine told reporters in hospital that she was beaten and kicked “like, probably 50 times,” and she said she was taken to hospital in Ramallah after other journalists rushed to her aid once settlers pulled back briefly.
Diplomats and accountability
Israeli settlers attacked a group of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank in the village of Taybeh, and the diplomats were from France, Belgium and Poland, according to Israeli media and Wafa. Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said, “As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice,” and he added that “Impunity for violent settlers must end.”
The IDF said there were no soldiers in the area at the time of the attack and that the visit had not been coordinated with the military, while Israeli police investigated the incident. The Washington Post’s Matt Murray said he was “outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job” and urged “a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities,” after Levine was beaten while covering attacks on Palestinian olive farmers.