The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has strongly condemned the attack by settler militias on American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who works on contract for The Washington Post, as she covered the olive harvest in the village of Abu Falah, north-east of Ramallah, on Friday, 16 October 2026. According to the syndicate, the attack took place under the protection of Israeli forces and left Levine injured and in hospital. The Washington Post has confirmed that its photographer was hurt.
What the syndicate said
- The attack is another crime against journalists doing their job, part of a pattern meant to intimidate the press and silence the cameras that document settler abuses.
- Levine has spent more than four decades covering wars and conflict zones, Palestine among them; targeting her is a serious blow to press freedom and to the world's right to know what is happening.
- The occupation authorities bear legal responsibility for attacks carried out under the protection, or in sight, of their forces, and impunity must not become a green light to target local and international crews.
What it is calling for
- Immediate, concrete action from the UN and international press-freedom and human-rights bodies, going beyond condemnation and solidarity.
- A clear position from the US administration and State Department, and real pressure to hold the attackers to account and stop attacks on American, international and Palestinian journalists.
- American and international media organisations to use their professional and legal weight to secure a serious investigation, and for the attack to be documented among the systematic violations against journalists.
The syndicate stressed that the protection of journalists cannot depend on their nationality, the outlet they work for or the story they cover, rejected any double standard when it comes to those documenting events in Palestine, and declared its full solidarity with Levine.
Our position
Global Press Shield adds its voice to the syndicate's and wishes our colleague Heidi Levine a swift recovery. A photographer who has spent her life documenting wars was beaten today in an olive grove while doing her job. That is a test for everyone who speaks of press freedom: accountability that deters the attackers, or impunity that paves the way for the next attack.
Read the details of the attack on Levine and a second foreign journalist in our earlier report. If you have been attacked while working, contact us: help@gpshield.org.