Washington Post Photographer Beaten in West Bank
The Facts
- Dozens of masked Israeli settlers reportedly attacked Palestinians picking olives near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, on Friday, burning trees and slinging rocks, witnesses said. Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was knocked down and beaten during the attack.
- Levine, 63, sustained a broken rib, lacerations and a deep cut to her left hand, her son said. Speaking from a hospital bed, she said attackers kicked her about 50 times, pushed her back down when she tried to rise and ripped away her cameras.
- WaPo Executive Editor Matt Murray said the Post was "outraged by this unwarranted attack" and noted that Levine wore visible press markings. The State Department said it condemned criminal violence in the West Bank and offered the newspaper consular assistance.
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The Spin
Anti-Israel narrative
Masked mobs burning olive groves and kicking a journalist in a marked press vest don't operate in a vacuum. Indeed, they receive funding, weapons and near-total legal cover. Impunity is a policy choice, and a government expanding settlements while soldiers stand alongside the attackers has made that choice clear. Condemnation means little when prosecutions never follow.
Pro-Israel narrative
Violence against journalists deserves condemnation and real accountability, and Israeli leaders have said exactly that. Smearing hundreds of thousands of law-abiding residents over the actions of a violent fringe is collective punishment by headline. Facts from a genuine investigation should drive conclusions, especially when footage of a chaotic confrontation cuts in several directions.
