Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine beaten by masked settlers in West Bank, paper says

A veteran American photographer was kicked and beaten on the ground while wearing a vest marked "PRESS." It happened Friday, Oct. 16, in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.

The victim is Heidi Levine, 64, a Jerusalem-based photographer for The Washington Post who has covered Middle East conflicts for decades. Post executive editor Matt Murray said she was "wearing visible markings clearly identifying her as a journalist" and called the attack "unwarranted." He urged "a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities."

What happened in Abu Falah

Witnesses told Reuters and the AP that about 80 masked settlers came down a hill above an olive grove where Palestinian villagers had gathered for the annual harvest. Witnesses said the settlers set trees on fire and threw rocks, some using slingshots. Some Palestinians threw stones back as they retreated downhill.

Levine was among a group of journalists about 80 yards away. Video shared by the Post appears to show masked men attacking her as she lies on the ground.

"They just kept kicking me and kicking me, like probably 50 times," Levine said. Speaking from a Ramallah hospital, she said her flak jacket and helmet likely saved her. "Otherwise I probably wouldn't even be here."

She said the attackers took her camera gear, bag, phone, and, according to witness accounts, her passport and wallet. She said the assault ended when Palestinian colleagues intervened.

Jasper Nathaniel, an independent journalist at the scene, said young Palestinians threw rocks to give cover so he could reach her. Later Friday he posted that her injuries were worse than first thought and that she "may have been stabbed" and was heading to surgery. That claim comes from Nathaniel alone. Other accounts described her as in stable condition, and the Post has not confirmed it.

Netanyahu's response

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack. "Israel unequivocally condemns violence against anyone—Jews, Arabs, Christians or journalists. Those responsible will be held accountable," he said.

He also disputed the account of who started the confrontation. "Reports indicate some 200 Arabs and far-left activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths," he said, adding that masked people on both sides were hurling objects. He said other recordings appear to show Levine knocked down and then helped up by the same unidentified person. "The investigation must establish the facts, including who initiated the violence," he said.

That account conflicts with witness descriptions of roughly 80 settlers, some armed, descending on a harvest already underway. It also conflicts with the video the Post released, which shows a journalist being beaten while on the ground. Her photo credentials and vest are not in dispute. Who threw the first stone is.

The Israeli military and Border Police said all details of the incident "will be examined." They said forces used riot dispersal means on arrival. At a separate spot, the IDF said soldiers fired warning shots and then fired toward a suspect who ran at them carrying a sharp object. The military acknowledged a journalist was injured.

Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, an independent journalist and pro-Palestinian activist who filmed the incident, said Israeli troops were at the scene before the attack and "did absolutely nothing about the settlers." He said they fired tear gas at Palestinians. A witness told Al Jazeera and the Palestinian news agency Wafa that soldiers shot a Palestinian man in the leg. The IDF has not addressed that claim in the statements cited.

A harvest under pressure, days before an election

Palestinian officials and the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported attacks Friday in at least eight northern West Bank villages. Palestinian authorities counted at least 20 injured.

Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, has counted at least 170 settler attacks since Sept. 27, around the start of the harvest. The UN humanitarian office reported more than 1,600 attacks across the territory from January through August. Palestinian authorities say at least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured over the past month.

Ziv Stahl, Yesh Din's executive director, said soldiers "aren't stopping the violence or protecting Palestinians. If anything, they're sometimes assisting settlers in the attacks." Yesh Din and other rights groups say perpetrators are rarely arrested or indicted. The British government has said Israel is turning a "blind eye" and the violence has drawn accusations of "ethnic cleansing." The Israeli government has not accepted that characterization in the statements cited here.

The Foreign Press Association, which represents international reporters in Israel and the Palestinian territories, called Friday's assault "the latest in a long line of violent attacks by Israeli settlers against journalists and other civilians." It said its repeated calls for action "have been ignored by Israeli authorities."

Israel holds national elections Oct. 27.

The military and police say they are examining the incident, and Netanyahu has promised accountability for those responsible. The attackers wore masks, which makes identification harder.

The test is concrete. Will police name suspects, and will anyone be charged for beating an American journalist on camera? Yesh Din's record on indictments suggests that is far from guaranteed.