US Ambassador condemns Israeli settler attack on Washington Post journalist

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has condemned an attack on an American journalist by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Heidi Levine, a photojournalist for The Washington Post, suffered severe injuries during the assault on Friday morning. The attack involved masked settlers setting fire to shrubs, throwing rocks, and physically assaulting Levine, who was identified as a journalist and unarmed.

The US envoy called the act "despicable terror" and demanded a full investigation, arrests, and prosecution of those responsible. Levine was taken to a hospital in Ramallah, where she sustained multiple injuries, including a wound on her leg and a gash on her knee. The Washington Post reported that she was knocked to the ground, kicked repeatedly, and stripped of her equipment.

The attack occurred amid concerns over Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, with European diplomats and a French mayor also facing assaults in separate incidents. Belgium and Poland expressed criticism and urged Israel to hold those responsible accountable, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for an end to the violence.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologized to Levine and demanded an investigation, while the Israeli military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office acknowledged the need for an investigation. However, Netanyahu's office noted that the circumstances remained unclear and that more evidence was required to establish responsibility.