Binyamin Council challenges claims of settler violence against journalist

The Binyamin Regional Council spokesperson issued a statement regarding the Arab footage of the incident in Abu Falah revealing a gap between the claims being circulated and the images from the scene. Hundreds of terrorists, backed by anarchists and accompanied by international media, arrived in the Abu Falah area this morning, claiming they had come for an “olive harvest." In practice, they approached an Israeli hilltop community in an attempt to drag its residents into a confrontation, then began throwing stones and firing fireworks directly at Israelis, who responded by throwing stones. Since the incident, Arabs and far-left activists have been spreading claims that Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was seriously injured by “settler violence." However, footage filmed by the Arab side itself raises questions about the version being circulated. The video shows Levine entering the confrontation and being knocked to the ground by an Israeli. In the background, a foreign activist claims that an Israeli is kicking her and “killing her," while the camera is not pointed at the location. When the camera returns to the scene, he continues shouting, “He’s killing her," as the Israeli youths are seen helping her to her feet. A further claim circulated afterward alleged that “hilltop youth kicked Heidi Levine 50 times and broke her legs." In footage from the hospital, she is seen with a bandage on one finger, with no visual evidence supporting the claim that her legs were broken.