U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for the “arrest and prosecution” of the people who attacked Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine during a Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank, according to a social media post he made Saturday. Huckabee’s statement came two days after Levine was beaten and hospitalized near the village of Abu Falah, an attack Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces say they are investigating.
The Latest From The Ambassador
Huckabee wrote that “those who attacked unarmed reporter should spend years in prison,” according to CBS News. He described the assault as a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards” and called it a “dishonorable act of senseless violence,” adding elsewhere that it was a “vicious & cowardly” attack.
The ambassador stressed that Levine is an American citizen who had identified herself as a journalist at the time of the attack, CBS News reported.
What Happened During The Heidi Levine West Bank Attack
The attack took place Friday as Palestinians were harvesting olives near Abu Falah, according to CBS News. Roughly 20 masked men dressed in black or gray clothing came down from a nearby Israeli settlement outpost into the olive grove. CNN reported that dozens of settlers ran toward the group of Palestinians, who began retreating, while video showed masked men, some carrying clubs, throwing stones at Palestinians who threw stones back.
At least five settlers surrounded Levine, threw her to the ground and beat her as she tried to shield her face with her hands. She was beaten for more than 10 minutes despite wearing a protective vest marked “PRESS” and a helmet. Her camera equipment, passport and phone were taken during the assault, according to both outlets.
Levine told CNN what the attackers did as they closed in. “I had my camera bag and my pouch with my passport, and my telephone was on a rope around my neck and they broke that off me, and they broke my cameras off me, and they broke my bag, and they kept kicking me,” she said. She described the scene by saying, “Just absolute craziness, and I didn’t see anybody trying to stop it.”
Levine suffered hand injuries that required surgery, broken ribs and other injuries. She was hospitalized in Ramallah before later being treated in Tel Aviv. The Palestine Red Crescent Society also treated a 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man who were beaten by settlers during the same incident.
Levine’s Background And The Broader Pattern Of Attacks
Levine has covered conflict zones as a photojournalist for more than four decades and has received multiple awards for her work. The attack is part of a wave of settler violence that has accompanied the start of this year’s Palestinian olive harvest, echoing a surge in similar attacks across the West Bank during last year’s harvest season, when settlers blocked Palestinians from reaching their land.
No attackers have been identified or arrested as of Sunday, and details about the settlement outpost the group came from have not been released.
What Officials Have Said
Israel Police opened an investigation after receiving reports of the attack and said they “view any act of violence with great severity, particularly when involving media members carrying out their work,” according to CNN. The Israel Defense Forces said it would examine all circumstances surrounding the incident, stating that “attempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area” and calling attacks on innocent civilians “grave and unacceptable,” per CNN.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned violence against anyone but referred to the episode as an alleged attack with circumstances that remained unclear, according to CBS News.
The Foreign Press Association condemned the attack and called on the head of the Israeli military’s Central Command to “stop making excuses” and protect civilians from violent mobs. The group said the assault was the latest in a long line of violent incidents targeting journalists and civilians, adding that repeated calls for action have gone unanswered by Israeli authorities. Levine herself told CNN she doubted any accountability would follow, saying, “Sadly, none of them will be prosecuted. I am sure of it,” and calling her attackers “not even humans” and “Jewish terrorists” in describing the assault.
What’s Next
Israel Police and the Israel Defense Forces have not released findings from their investigations, and no charges or arrests have been announced. No court date or hearing has been scheduled, and officials have not said when an update on the inquiries might come.
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