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An American photojournalist working for The Washington Post was assaulted by settlers on Friday while covering ongoing violence targeting Palestinian olive farmers in the occupied West Bank.
Photojournalist Heidi Levine was transported to a hospital in Ramallah following the assault, while photos taken by Agence France-Presse (AFP) showed her lying on a stretcher with visible injuries to her leg and hand.
This incident comes ten days after AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh was beaten by settlers while covering the olive harvest season in the West Bank, which also required him to be taken to the hospital for treatment.
Levine told reporters from her hospital bed that more than 50 masked settlers carrying sticks attacked her suddenly while she was working near the Palestinian villages of Turmus Ayya and Abu Falah in the central occupied West Bank.
She added, "Suddenly they attacked me, and luckily I was wearing my helmet and bulletproof vest, and I stayed flat on the ground to try to protect my face."
She added, "They kept kicking me over and over again."
The Washington Post reported that Levine was wearing a bulletproof vest with the word "Press" clearly written on both the front and back.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in occupied Jerusalem said it was aware of reports regarding the assault, declining to provide further comments due to privacy laws.
He added, "We have no higher priority than the protection of U.S. citizens."
AFP did not witness the moment of the assault, but one of its journalists in Turmus Ayya saw Palestinian paramedics providing aid to a person lying on the ground, and said that Israeli soldiers pushed away journalists who tried to approach.
The Israeli occupation army said that army and border police forces were deployed in the area "following a report of a violent confrontation."
It added, "Members of foreign media were present at the scene, and a journalist was injured during the confrontation," adding that the circumstances of the incident will be investigated.
The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said that the settlers stole Levine's passport, phone, wallet, and equipment.
The association added, "This latest attack is part of a long series of violent assaults committed by Israeli settlers against journalists and other civilians in the occupied West Bank."
It continued, "Despite our repeated calls for action to address this lawlessness, the Israeli authorities have ignored them."
The West Bank has witnessed an escalation in violence in recent months, with near-daily attacks, thefts, or acts of vandalism carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, or the seizure of olive groves.
Excluding occupied East Jerusalem, about three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, alongside more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.
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