Israeli settlers attack European diplomatic cars in West Bank and beat French mayor, say witnesses

Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was brutally beaten by Israeli settlers while reporting on a Palestinian olive harvest in the occupied West Bank on Friday. The newspaper swiftly condemned the assault and called for an investigation. Levine, an experienced photojournalist with decades of Middle East conflicts coverage, was knocked down, kicked multiple times, and had her equipment confiscated during the attack by masked settlers near the village of Abu Falah.

She was hospitalized and is currently recovering. The assault underscores the vulnerability of journalists covering the surge in settler violence in the West Bank, particularly during the annual olive harvest. Levine was wearing a "PRESS" vest when she was targeted. The Washington Post's executive editor expressed outrage at the unwarranted attack on a journalist doing her job and demanded a thorough investigation.

Israeli soldiers failed to intervene despite the violence, and the military is conducting separate investigations alongside the police. The Binyamin Regional Council blamed the Palestinian Authority for organizing provocateurs, but witnesses claim settlers initiated the attack on Palestinians. The incident occurred just 10 days after Israeli settlers beat an Agence France-Presse photographer with rifle butts while covering violence against Palestinian olive farmers.

Such attacks have increased, with the United Nations documenting over 1,600 settler assaults in the West Bank between January and August, resulting in injuries or property damage.