Masked settlers target Washington Post journalist in latest attack in occupied West Bank
Clad in black balaclavas and armed with guns and clubs, dozens of militant Israeli settlers stormed a Palestinian olive harvest on Friday, hospitalising a Washington Post photographer and a Palestinian man in a coordinated attack caught on camera.
Veteran conflict reporter Heidi Levine was among a group of journalists covering the harvest in Abu Falah village, a treasured annual tradition in the occupied West Bank, where deadly settler violence is at an all-time high.
Andrey X, a journalist and activist, shared footage he took of the brutal attack which showed a group in masks relentlessly battering Levine, who is inert on the ground, with clubs.
Speaking from a hospital bed later, Levine said she was “brutally attacked”, pushed to the ground and robbed of her camera gear, bag and phone.
“Luckily I had my flak jacket and helmet, otherwise I probably wouldn’t even be here, because they just kept kicking me and kicking me” she said, her voice shaking.
She said they ripped all her belongings off her and kept kicking her. At one point she was helped to her feet and then knocked down again, she added.
Andrey X told The Independent villagers had just started the harvest when at least 50 settlers descended on the grove, armed with slingshots, clubs and later automatic rifles. Reuters witnesses also reported the presence of guns.
The attack continued after the military’s arrival, with Israeli soldiers shooting tear gas before a group of people armed with assault rifles started firing live ammunition, Andrey continued.
“Palestinians and journalists started pulling back but Heidi got left behind. They started beating her with clubs. They kicked her and took everything,” he said.
Together with other journalists, he managed to extract Levine and get her to an ambulance even as they were chased by settlers who continued to throw rocks, while the army stood by.
Later he said the Israeli military stormed the village of Abu Falah where soldiers reportedly shot a Palestinian man who had to be rushed to hospital. Palestinian medics said two people were injured and taken to hospitals in the Ramallah area.
The Washington Post said that Levine was wearing “visible markings clearly identifying her as a journalist”.
“We are outraged by this unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and urge a thorough investigation and follow-through from the authorities,” the paper added.
Elisa Lees Muñoz, president of the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), said: “The IWMF is gravely concerned for journalists covering conflict worldwide as they are increasingly viewed as targets themselves. Assaulting journalists… threatens both their lives and the public’s right to be informed. Such attacks underscore why independent reporting is essential and why those who produce it must be protected.”
