West Bankupdated 1h ago2 min read
Mike Huckabee Urges Israel To Prosecute Settlers Over Attack On Washington Post Photojournalist Heidi Levine
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Huckabee urged Israel to prosecute and jail those responsible for the West Bank attack on Heidi Levine. He labeled the assault a despicable act of terror and called for a full investigation.
Haaretz was read line by line by the Watchdog: 6.1. See the score →
Huckabee demands prosecution
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for Israeli authorities to prosecute and imprison those responsible for attacking Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine in the occupied West Bank. Huckabee wrote on X, "Attacking a female photographer is a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards," and he said those who attacked should spend "(years) in prison." The US State Department said it was "greatly concerned" about the attack on Levine by Israeli occupiers in the occupied West Bank and said it was ready to provide consular assistance.
“We've asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff.”
Marco Rubio told reporters that the United States wants Israel to "crack down on that stuff" after video showed multiple individuals attacking Levine, an American photojournalist with the Washington Post. The attack left Levine hospitalised with broken vertebrae, and the reporting said she was listed as being in moderate condition.
Levine’s injuries and account
Levine was attacked during Palestinians’ annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank, and witnesses and video records described settlers beating her and stealing her passport, telephone, wallet and equipment. Levine told Al Jazeera that the assailants were "kicking me for like 10 minutes, and I was trying to hold onto my cameras and my bag," and an independent journalist said she was "in very, very bad shape." The reporting said Levine, 64, was taken to hospital after the assault in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, and it described surgery on her finger that was nearly detached from her hand.
Levine’s daughter told The Associated Press news agency that Levine had a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae, as well as lacerations. The reporting also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Friday that Palestinians or "far-left" activists may have been responsible, while Huckabee did not identify the culprits as settlers after Netanyahu tried to sow doubt.
US pressure and wider fallout
Rubio said the US State Department inquired about the event and he expected to hear back from the US Embassy in Jerusalem by Sunday, while the US administration said it would communicate its expectations to the Israelis to prevent similar incidents. Huckabee’s demand for prosecution and jail followed the State Department’s earlier cautious tone on Friday, which condemned "criminal violence by any party" while not assigning blame. The reporting said Israeli settlers had been involved in at least 170 attacks on Palestinians since September 27, around the start of the annual olive harvest, according to Yesh Din.
The Hill reported that Netanyahu’s office said the circumstances remained unclear and more evidence was needed before responsibility could be established, and it also said the diplomats’ visit had not been coordinated with Israeli security officials. The reporting said Belgium criticised the attack on its consul general and other diplomats and urged Israel to bring those responsible to justice, while Poland’s Foreign Ministry said preliminary evidence indicated Israeli settlers were responsible.