Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was beaten by Israeli settlers while covering the olive harvest in the occupied West Bank on Friday, October 16, 2026. The 63-year-old photographer was attacked near the village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah, in one of the day's most violent settler assaults.
What happened in Abu Falah
According to Reuters witnesses, about 80 settlers, clad in black and masked, descended from a hill above a terraced olive grove where villagers from Abu Falah were harvesting olives. The settlers burned olive trees, threw rocks with slings, and attacked the harvesters. Video of the attack showed Levine lying on her side on a dirt path, her hands over her face, as at least three settlers surrounded her.
Speaking from her hospital bed, Levine said she was pushed to the ground and kicked repeatedly, and that her attackers ripped her cameras and bag from her. She credited her flak jacket and helmet with saving her from worse injuries. The Palestinian Red Crescent treated two injured people from the attack: a 63-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man.
A wider day of harvest violence
Abu Falah was not the only flashpoint. The Times of Israel and Haaretz reported at least six Palestinians wounded on Friday in settler attacks on olive harvesters across several West Bank villages. Near Turmus Ayya, settlers set fire to three Palestinian vehicles after attacking farmers in the groves, and footage showed settlers approaching harvesters near the village of Burqa.
The attacks cap a brutal harvest season. The Israeli monitoring group Yesh Din counts at least 170 settler attacks since September 27, when the annual olive harvest began. The UN says the past two weeks have already seen more settler attacks than the entire 2025 harvest season, with settler violence at an all-time high this year.
Investigations and reactions
The Israel Defense Forces said troops and Border Police were dispatched to the Abu Falah area and dispersed the confrontation using riot dispersal means. The military said troops fired warning shots into the air and at one suspect who approached them carrying a sharp object, and promised that all circumstances surrounding the incident would be examined. Israeli police said investigators would enter the area with an IDF escort to collect evidence and testimony.
The military and police added that they view violence "gravely, particularly when it involves journalists carrying out their work." The Washington Post had not responded to a request for comment at the time of reporting. The Binyamin Regional Council offered a starkly different account, claiming "hundreds of terrorists and anarchists" had attacked Israelis and calling the incident a "planned provocation."
The West Bank is home to some 500,000 settlers and at least 3 million Palestinians. Settlements are deemed illegal under international law regarding military occupations by the UN and most countries, a position Israel disputes. Palestinian officials say settler attacks have damaged more than 147,000 trees since October 2023, including over 100,000 olive trees.
Friday's assault on a credentialed journalist on assignment is likely to draw fresh international scrutiny of settler violence in the West Bank, and of the Israeli authorities' response. Whether the investigation produces arrests will be watched closely by press-freedom advocates and diplomats alike.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources:
- Reuters: Israeli settlers burn olive trees, injure journalist in West Bank attack
- Haaretz: Palestinians report multiple settler attacks on olive harvesters in West Bank
- The Times of Israel: IDF says it will investigate violent settler attack on Palestinians, journalist
- The Jerusalem Post: Washington Post photojournalist hurt as Israelis, Palestinians clash in West Bank