U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday branded the beating of American photojournalist Heidi Levine near a West Bank olive grove a “despicable act of terror,” demanding that Israeli authorities investigate, arrest and prosecute everyone involved. Levine, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer for the Washington Post, remained hospitalized in Tel Aviv on Sunday recovering from broken ribs, hand surgery and other injuries after masked men assaulted her on Friday despite her press helmet and marked vest.
The ambassador’s statement escalated Washington’s response to settler violence during the annual olive harvest, a period that has seen repeated clashes between Palestinian farmers and Israeli settlers. Huckabee wrote on social media that attacking an unarmed reporter was “vicious & cowardly,” adding that assailants should spend “YRS” in prison. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters before a trip to Uzbekistan, said the United States was “very disturbed” by the footage and had repeatedly asked Israel to “crack down” on settler attacks in the occupied territory.
What video from the grove shows
The incident unfolded Friday near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah, north of Ramallah, as Palestinians harvested olives and journalists documented the harvest. Video circulated by news organizations and the Foreign Press Association shows roughly 20 masked men in dark clothing moving from a hillside near an Israeli settlement outpost into the grove. Levine, wearing protective gear labeled “PRESS,” was surrounded, pushed to the ground and kicked repeatedly, according to witnesses and the Post’s account.
The Washington Post said Levine was “knocked to the ground, repeatedly kicked and robbed of her cameras and phone” even though she was clearly identifiable as press. Levine told reporters from a hospital bed that she saw at least 25 and possibly 50 attackers, and that the beating lasted about 10 minutes before Palestinians helped carry her to an ambulance. She said settlers stole her cameras, passport and phone. Several Palestinians were also injured in related confrontations; Israeli police and the military said they opened investigations after receiving reports from the Israel Defense Forces.
Israeli leaders split on how to describe the attack
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the “shocking violence” and said he telephoned Levine to apologize, telling her the attackers’ behavior “does not represent the citizens or the values of the State of Israel.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by contrast, referred to the episode as “alleged” violence and said its circumstances remained unclear while condemning violence against anyone. The IDF acknowledged that a journalist was hurt during a “confrontation” and said troops dispersed those involved; Levine alleged soldiers fired tear gas toward journalists and Palestinians and did not intervene to stop the beating when she was left isolated.
The attack came in the same week that European diplomats and a French mayor reported being assaulted during West Bank visits, underscoring growing international pressure on Israel to curb settler vigilantism. Belgium’s foreign minister publicly raised the diplomatic incidents. For Washington, the case carries added weight because Levine is a U.S. citizen and because Huckabee — a prominent evangelical supporter of Israel — used the word “terror,” language U.S. officials rarely apply to settler violence.
What happens next
Israeli police said they were pursuing leads after the IDF filed an initial report. No arrests had been announced by Sunday, a pattern critics say is common in West Bank settler cases. Levine’s editors said she would remain under medical care while investigators review camera footage from the hillside approach and statements from colleagues on the ground.
Rubio said the embassy in Jerusalem was expected to report back to him by Sunday on the attack and the Israeli response. Huckabee’s public demand for prosecutions sets a benchmark for how the Trump administration will treat the case if charges are not filed. Palestinian harvesters, meanwhile, face the remainder of the olive season with fewer guarantees that foreign press presence will deter violence in outlying groves near settlement outposts.