The Committee to Protect Journalists has written to Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel (Michael) Leiter, demanding a criminal investigation into October 16’s violent assault on Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine while covering the olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. Levine was assaulted by masked settlers despite wearing a clearly marked “Press” vest.
CPJ’s October 17 letter emphasized the Israeli government’s “obligation to swiftly, thoroughly, and impartially investigate all attacks against journalists, including identifying perpetrators and holding them fully accountable under criminal law.” Such investigations should examine the actions of Israeli military or police personnel, including any failure to intervene or to protect journalists, CPJ said.
On October 17, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee posted on X that the U.S. had called for “a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law to whoever participated.” Multiple members of Congress also strongly condemned the assault, calling on Israel to hold the perpetrators to account and end the culture of impunity for attacks on journalists.
CPJ’s letter highlighted that Levine’s brutal assault fits a broader pattern of violence against journalists in the West Bank and called on the Israeli government to commit to a clear timeline for investigations, including public updates on their progress, and to cease downplaying such assaults as that contributes to an enabling environment for future attacks against journalists.
Read the full letter here.