US ambassador to Israel calls for ‘arrest and prosecution’ of West Bank settler attackers led by Heidi Levine

The US ambassador to Israel has condemned a settler attack during the West Bank olive harvest in which a An American journalist was beaten.

In a social media post Saturday, Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the attack on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine “vicious and cowardly,” citing that she is a U.S. citizen and identified herself as a journalist. Several Palestinians were also injured in Friday’s attack.

“Those who attacked an unarmed journalist should spend years (years) in prison,” Huckabee wrote, adding that he had called for a “thorough investigation, arrest and prosecution” of the attackers.

“Attacking a female photographer is a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards,” he said, “a dishonorable act of senseless violence.”

Video of the incident obtained by CBS News showed a group of about 20 masked men dressed in black or gray clothing walking down a hill from the area of ​​an Israeli settlement outpost to an olive grove near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah.

A video shared by the Israel-based Foreign Press Association shows Levine surrounded by masked men, pushed to the ground and beaten, and her camera equipment confiscated.

In a statement released Friday, the Washington Post confirmed the attack, saying Levine “was thrown to the ground, punched multiple times and robbed of her cameras and phone while wearing a protective vest marked ‘PRESS’ and a helmet.”

The Israeli police and army said they had opened an investigation into the incident.

Following the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned “violence against anyone”, but called the attack “alleged” and said its circumstances remained unclear.

Levine, an award-winning photojournalist who has covered conflict zones around the world for more than four decades, remains hospitalized in Tel Aviv as she recovers from hand surgery, broken ribs and other injuries she suffered in the attack. She said she was pushed to the ground and beaten for more than 10 minutes by the settlers, who also stole her camera, passport and phone.