Extremist Israeli settlers attack Palestinians and Washington Post photographer
Masked settlers burn olive groves, assault Palestinian harvesters and severely injure journalist as witnesses accuse Israeli troops of failing to intervene
ABU FALAH, West Bank (MNTV) — Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers harvesting olives in the occupied West Bank, setting agricultural groves ablaze and severely beating veteran Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine in an assault witnessed by journalists.
According to The Washington Post, the attack occurred Friday near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, where Palestinian families were gathering their seasonal olive harvest.
Levine, who wore a protective vest clearly marked “PRESS,” was knocked down, repeatedly kicked and robbed of her cameras and phone.
She suffered extensive cuts, a broken rib and four fractured vertebrae. One finger was so badly injured that she required further surgery. Video footage and eyewitness accounts documented the assault.
Witnesses said dozens of masked settlers descended from a nearby hilltop settlement, hurled stones using slingshots and set olive groves on fire. Several journalists were also targeted with rocks.
Reporters said Israeli troops were present before and during the violence but did not tried to stop the extremist settlers.
Witnesses alleged that soldiers directed tear gas at Palestinians instead. The Israeli military said it was investigating, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained that the circumstances remained unclear.
The attack occurred amid escalating settler violence against Palestinian communities, particularly during olive harvest season, when families depend on the crop for income.
United Nations figures cited by The Washington Post documented more than 1,600 settler attacks causing injuries or property damage between January and August.
At least 76 Palestinians in the West Bank had been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since Feb. 28, according to the United Nations. Prosecutions of settlers accused of violence against Palestinians remain rare.
The newspaper demanded a thorough investigation, while US diplomats called for investigations, arrests and convictions of those responsible.
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