A Washington Post photojournalist experienced a severe attack by masked Israeli settlers while covering an olive harvest in a Palestinian village north of Ramallah on Friday. Heidi Levine sustained four fractured vertebrae, two broken ribs, and four puncture wounds during the incident. She credited her survival to protective body armor and a helmet, stating she would likely have been killed without such equipment.
The attack occurred during what began as a peaceful olive harvesting operation in Abu Falah. Levine described how the situation escalated after the Israeli army arrived on the scene, at which point settlers appeared on a nearby hilltop and subsequently charged at the assembled group of Palestinian villagers, journalists, and human rights activists. She reported being beaten repeatedly, estimated at more than a hundred times, by attackers wielding wooden clubs. Some witnesses observed nails protruding from the clubs used in the assault.
Palestinian youth intervened during the attack, using slingshots to direct stones at the settlers and create a protective barrier around Levine. Their actions enabled fellow journalist Jasper Nathaniel and other reporters to reach and evacuate her from the scene. Levine characterized their assistance as lifesaving, noting that the young Palestinians risked their own safety to protect her.
Levine emphasized the broader context of settler violence, noting that more than 20 Palestinians have been killed in such attacks earlier this year. She expressed frustration with official Israeli responses, particularly criticism of statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that questioned witness accounts. The office suggested some video footage showed Levine being helped up by individuals she characterized as her attackers, a claim she disputed, stating they had stood her up only to rob her possessions before resuming the assault.
Israeli police arrested 10 suspects following the incident and a related attack on European diplomats. An Israeli court subsequently released four suspects in the attack on Levine, placing them under house arrest due to insufficient evidence. Levine expressed low confidence in achieving justice, rating her expectations at two out of ten.
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