“Suddenly, I saw more than 50 masked men”: an American journalist testifies after being beaten by settlers in the West Bank

An American photojournalist was injured Friday by Israeli settlers who beat her while covering violence against Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank. Heidi Levine, a veteran photojournalist working for the Washington Post, was covering the olive harvest near the villages of Turmus Ayya and Khirbet Abu Falah when she was attacked.

“Suddenly I saw more than 50 masked men (...) They were holding wooden sticks (...) and I believe also iron (bars). And then, suddenly, they attacked me,” she told journalists from the bed of a hospital in Ramallah where she was taken. His left hand was wrapped in a thick bandage. “I had a bag with my phone, and everything ended up being taken from me. Then they tried to stand me up, just to knock me back down and keep kicking me,” she said. Several other people were injured during the attack, including a Palestinian who was hit in the leg by army fire as he was fleeing from the attacked olive grove.

The journalist, who has worked in the Middle East for decades and covered several wars, explained that she identified herself as a journalist but also as a “mother” to try to calm the attackers. “Luckily I had my helmet and body armor,” she continued. The Washington Post pointed out that she was clearly identified as a journalist with a bulletproof vest bearing the words “Press” on the front and back.

Increasing settler attacks

In a statement, the army said it had intervened when warned of “a violent clash”, confirming that “a journalist was injured during the incident”. The US Embassy in Israel said it was aware of media reports of the attack. “We have no greater responsibility than to protect American citizens,” assured a spokesperson, without further comment. The attack on Heidi Levine comes as attacks on settlers are increasing during the olive harvest in the West Bank, occupied since 1967.