Tel Aviv [Israel], October 17 : After The Washington Post reported an assault against photojournalist Heidi Levine, allegedly by masked Israeli settlers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the facts surrounding the incident “remain unclear” and are subject to probe.
In a statement on Friday, the Israeli PMO condemned the attack; however, it said that masked individuals on both sides, Jewish and Arabs, were seen hurling objects.
The Israeli PMO stated on X, “The facts surrounding the confrontation near Abu Falah, during which Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was allegedly assaulted, remain unclear and are under investigation. Israel unequivocally condemns violence against anyone—Jews, Arabs, Christians or journalists. Those responsible will be held accountable.”
“But serious questions remain. Reports indicate some 200 Arabs and far-left activists confronted approximately 40 Israeli youths. Footage shows masked individuals on both sides hurling objects, amid reports of fireworks fired at Jewish youths. Other footage appears to show Levine knocked down and immediately helped to her feet by the same unidentified individual. The investigation must establish the facts, including who initiated the violence,” the statement read.
Netanyahu said that Israel will “not allow disputed incidents to be exploited to demonise the hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. The facts must determine the conclusions. Not the headlines.”
Earlier, The Washington Post reported that Heidi Levine was knocked down near Abu Falah and kicked, before she was taken to hospitals in Ramallah and Israel. According to the report, she suffered a broken rib and four broken vertebrae, and will undergo surgery as one of her fingers was ripped open, exposing bone.
“They just kept kicking me and kicking me, like probably 50 times,” Levine told reporters, as per The Washington Post.
The probe into the incident is underway.