Washington Post journalist hospitalized after Israeli settler attack on Palestinian olive harvest in West Bank

By Abeer Salman, Ibrahim Dahman and Oren Liebermann, CNN

(CNN) — A Washington Post photojournalist was hospitalized after Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank attacked her and a group of Palestinians during the annual olive harvest.

Veteran photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was on assignment for the Washington Post, said the group of Palestinians she was with began to retreat when they saw dozens of settlers running toward them.

In a video statement, Levine said settlers kicked her while she was on the ground. “I had my camera bag and my pouch with my passport, and my telephone was on a rope around my neck and they broke that off me, and they broke my cameras off me, and they broke my bag, and they kept kicking me,” said Levine, who estimated the attack lasted 10 minutes. “Just absolute craziness, and I didn’t see anybody trying to stop it.”

“I don’t know how a parent can raise such a monster. They’re not even humans, and yes, they are Jewish terrorists,” Levine added. “And you know what? Sadly, none of them will be prosecuted. I am sure of it.”

The Washington Post said Levine was wearing “visible markings clearly identifying her as a journalist” during the attack. “We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from authorities.”

Video of the attack showed a group of masked settlers, some armed with clubs, hurling stones at a group of Palestinians, some of whom are also throwing stones. In the background, at least five settlers surround Levine and throw her to the ground, beating her as she covers her face with her hands. The settlers appear to rip away Levine’s bag.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it was treating two people after they were beaten by settlers: a 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man. The assault is part of a wave of settler attacks at the start of the Palestinian olive harvest that residents reported across the area. Last year’s olive harvest saw a surge of such incidents across the West Bank as settlers attacked Palestinians and prevented them from accessing their land.

Levine was rushed to the Ramallah Government Hospital after the attack, where she was in stable condition, according to the Foreign Press Association (FPA). Photos show Levine’s hand and leg wrapped in bandages as she rests in a hospital bed.

The FPA condemned the attack and called on the head of the Israeli military’s Central Command, which governs operations in the West Bank, to “stop making excuses and do its job of protecting civilians from these violent mobs.”

In a statement, the FPA said, “This is the latest in a long line of violent attacks by Israeli settlers against journalists and other cilivians in the occupied West Bank. Yet our repeated calls for action to confront this lawlessness have been ignored by Israeli authorities.”

Additional videos from the scene show a man with a bloodied face after the attack, as well as flame pouring out of a burning car with Palestinian license plates. Another video shows Israeli soldiers blocking the road. One soldier films with his phone; a second hurls what appears to be a smoke grenade as a man begs him, “Please don’t do it!”

Israel Police opened an investigation after receiving reports of the attack. In a statement, police said they “view any act of violence with great severity, particularly when it involves members of the media carrying out their work.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they would examine “all circumstances” around the incident. “Attempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area,” the IDF said. “Attacks and violence against innocent civilians are grave and unacceptable acts.”

Mustafa Barghouti, head of the Palestinian National Initiative, said on X that “gangs of Israeli terrorist settlers” launched an attack on the village of Abu Falah, where Palestinians were preparing to harvest their olives.

“In full view of the cameras, the settlers set olive trees on fire, pelt Palestinian farmers with stones, and fired live ammunition, resorting to every possible form of terror and intimidation to prevent Palestinians from harvesting their own olive trees,” said Barghouti.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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