Washington Post Photographer Hospitalized After Settler Attack in West Bank
Heidi Levine, a veteran photojournalist on assignment for the Post, was kicked and beaten while covering the Palestinian olive harvest near Ramallah. The newspaper condemned the assault and demanded an investigation.
A Washington Post photojournalist was hospitalized Friday after Israeli settlers attacked her while she covered the Palestinian olive harvest in the occupied West Bank, the newspaper said.
Heidi Levine, a veteran photographer on assignment for the Post, was with Palestinian farmers near the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, when dozens of masked settlers ran toward the group, according to CNN. Levine said the settlers knocked her to the ground, kicked her repeatedly and destroyed her cameras and phone. She estimated the attack lasted about 10 minutes.
“They just kept kicking me and kicking me,” Levine told reporters. “I didn’t see anybody trying to stop it.” Video of the attack showed masked settlers hurling stones at villagers, some of whom threw stones back. Reuters journalists witnessed the confrontation, according to TheWrap.
Post executive editor Matt Murray condemned the assault. He said Levine wore markings clearly identifying her as a journalist and called for a full investigation by the authorities. Levine said she doubted the attackers would face prosecution.
The assault came during the annual olive harvest, a season when confrontations between settlers and Palestinian farmers have repeatedly flared in the West Bank.
