Masked settlers beat Washington Post photographer covering harvest near Ramallah

Masked settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives near Khirbet Abu Falah, north-east of Ramallah, on Friday, 16 October, and beat Heidi Levine, a photojournalist working for the Washington Post. She was knocked down, kicked repeatedly and had her cameras and phone taken, although her vest was marked PRESS front and back.

AFP later reported that Levine, 65, had broken vertebrae, and the Times of Israel said she needed surgery on her hand. The Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, called for an investigation. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian man in the thigh during the incident.

Prime Minister Netanyahu questioned the journalists' account but called for a full investigation. The US ambassador, Mike Huckabee, called the beating an act of terror, while the State Department expressed concern without assigning blame. Residents of Khirbet Abu Falah now face a proposed security buffer zone.