American journalist Heidi Levine hospitalized with broken rib; US ambassador Huckabee urges Israel to prosecute attackers

Huckabee calls for prosecution

Huckabee said those who attacked Levine should face prison and urged a full investigation, arrests and prosecution under the law. In a post on X on Saturday, he described the assault on the photographer as an act of terror.

Journalist suffered serious injuries

Levine was reporting on the annual olive harvest on Friday in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, when she and several Palestinians were attacked. Witnesses said the attackers beat her and took her passport, phone, wallet and equipment.

Levine said the assailants kicked her for about 10 minutes as she tried to protect her cameras and bag. Independent journalist Jasper Nathaniel told Al Jazeera she was in very bad shape and could not get up from the ground.

Levine, 64, was taken to hospital and had surgery on a finger that was nearly detached. Her daughter told The Associated Press that she also had a broken rib, multiple broken vertebrae and cuts.

Dispute over who attacked

Netanyahu said Palestinians or “far-left” activists could have been behind the assault on Levine and other Palestinians. The article says he made the claim as he sought to strengthen his pro-settlement right-wing support ahead of the October 27 elections.

Huckabee has criticized settler attacks against Americans, but did not say settlers were responsible in this case. The US State Department condemned “criminal violence by any party” in a statement about Friday’s attack.

Huckabee’s previous comments

Huckabee, appointed by US President Donald Trump, met Palestinian Americans in Turmus Aya in September to hear accounts of pogroms. In August, he called a days-long Israeli settler siege an act of terror.

The assault on Levine took place in the occupied West Bank during the olive harvest. Her injuries and the disagreement over responsibility have drawn calls for an investigation.