Washington Post journalist says attack by Israeli West Bank settlers has only ‘strengthened’ her resolve
West Bank attack deepens photojournalist’s commitment to covering Palestinian lives
Qwenews.com – Heidi Levine, an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post, says a violent assault during an olive harvest in the occupied West Bank has reinforced her determination to continue documenting the experiences of Palestinians.
Levine was hospitalized after Israeli settlers attacked her, Palestinians and other journalists last week while they were covering the annual harvest. She was released from hospital Wednesday and spoke the next day while recovering in Israel.
“It actually has strengthened my commitment to continue working to try to make a difference.”
The veteran photographer said the experience gave her a more personal understanding of the fear faced by Palestinian families and communities living with recurring violence. Her own case has drawn substantial international attention, she said, but many Palestinians endure similar threats without receiving comparable public attention.
“What hurts me the most is I can now really understand what others have gone through, what Palestinian women, children, men have gone through.”
Levine added that her American citizenship, her employer and the global interest in the attack made her circumstances different from those of many other victims.
“I’m an American, I work for the Washington Post, my story is getting a lot of attention around the world, everyone wants to talk to me – but I can’t imagine what it’s like for all the victims that have gone through the same ordeal and are living with the threat of this violence on a daily basis.”
Harvest coverage turns into chaos
The olive harvest is a major seasonal event for many Palestinian farmers in the West Bank, where olive groves can be an important source of income and a deep connection to family land. In recent years, violence has risen as settlements have expanded, often with backing from Israeli forces. Farmers and communities dependent on the harvest have faced increasingly frequent attacks.
Levine said the day initially unfolded normally. While photographing the harvest with a telephoto lens, however, she saw people assembling on a nearby hilltop. She described them as young, with some wearing black masks. Religious clothing and items including kippahs and tzitzit led her to identify them as Israeli settlers.
The group grew until it numbered several dozen people, she said. They began setting olive trees alight and advanced toward the people working and reporting below.
“Then all of a sudden, chaos broke out.”
Levine said tear gas and gunfire followed. She understood that a Palestinian man had been shot in the leg before settlers moved forward. Levine was knocked to the ground and repeatedly assaulted.
“I was thrown to the ground … They just kept kicking me and hitting me with sticks, and it just kept going on and on.”
At one point, she considered pretending to be dead in the hope that the attackers would stop. Instead, she said, they removed her equipment and personal possessions, including her camera bag, lenses, passport, credit cards and documents.
The attackers also took a gold necklace given to her by her daughter as a birthday present, Levine said.
Dispute over footage of the assault
Video from the attack later prompted debate over the moment Levine was pulled back onto her feet. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said footage appeared to show her being knocked down and then immediately helped up by the same unidentified person.
Levine rejected that characterization, saying she was raised only because the people attacking her were trying to remove everything from her shoulders.
“No, they only stood me up because they couldn’t manage to get everything off my shoulders to rob me.”
The immediate assault ended after journalist Jasper Nathaniel and others came to her aid. But video from the scene shows that the group still had to flee while rocks were thrown at them. People helping Levine can be heard urgently telling her to run; she answered that she could not.
Levine later described Palestinian men stepping forward to protect her and her rescuers from another attack.
“Without the Palestinians’ intervention,” the entire group “would have been in the same situation as me.”
Serious injuries and wider concern
Despite wearing a helmet and flak jacket, Levine suffered a broken rib, a broken vertebra and a serious injury to a finger that required surgery. Her hand remained heavily bandaged when she spoke publicly after leaving hospital.
The attack drew condemnation from foreign press organizations, the White House and several Israeli figures, including President Isaac Herzog. Netanyahu said serious questions remained about the incident, even as Levine maintained that the assault and theft were clear from her experience on the ground.
The episode has also intensified attention on violence linked to settlement activity and on the risks faced by civilians, farmers and journalists in the West Bank. One day after Levine was attacked, settlers assaulted European diplomats visiting Taybeh, a Palestinian Christian town, adding to international alarm.
For journalists covering conflict, protective gear can reduce certain dangers but cannot eliminate the risk of being surrounded, beaten or robbed. Levine’s account also highlights the vulnerability of Palestinian harvest workers, who often face such threats while trying to access and cultivate their land.
Levine said the attack had not changed the purpose she sees in her work. Instead, it sharpened her resolve to continue telling stories from a region where violence can transform an ordinary workday or harvest gathering into a life-threatening event.
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