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(https://rumcdn.geoedge.be/f7ae3efe-f9e8-44be-8cf9-3b564afd5f4b/grumi-ip.js)  (https://widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js)  (https://btloader.com/tag?o=5119785225420800&upapi=true)  (https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=GTM-T4BJGTM)  (https://news.google.com/swg/js/v1/publisher.js)   (../manifest.json)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-16.png)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-32.png)  (../../images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-192.png)  (https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/Icons/PNG/jp-favicon-180.png)  (https://fonts.gstatic.com)  (https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js)  Heidi Levine says Palestinian youth defended her during West Bank settler attack | The Jerusalem Post      (article-912493.html)                     (Jerusalem Post) (https://www.jpost.com/) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News) (The Jerusalem Post - Israel News)    (CONFERENCES) (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) CONFERENCES  (ISRAEL NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news) ISRAEL NEWS  (WORLD NEWS) (https://www.jpost.com/international) WORLD NEWS  (MIDDLE EAST) (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) MIDDLE EAST  (BUSINESS & INNOVATION) (https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation) BUSINESS & INNOVATION  (DEFENSE & TECH) (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (OPINION) (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  (JP STORE) (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE   (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login    (Search) ()           (https://www.jpost.com/PayWalllogin) Login (https://payments.jpost.com/paywall/paywallpersonaldetails) Subscribe    (https://www.jpost.com/magazineprint/digitallibrary) JPOST DIGITAL LIBRARY  (https://www.jpost.com/) HOME PAGE  (https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report) THE JERUSALEM REPORT  (https://defense-and-tech.jpost.com/) DEFENSE & TECH  (https://www.jpost.com/tags/education) JPOST HIGHER EDUCATION  (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  BUSINESS & INNOVATION      (https://realestate.jpost.com/) REAL ESTATE LISTINGS  (https://www.jpost.com/aliyah) ALIYAH  (https://www.jpost.com/conferences) JERUSALEM POST CONFERENCE  PREMIUM      (https://store.jpost.com/) JP STORE  Categories  ISRAEL NEWS      WORLD NEWS      MIDDLE EAST      (https://www.jpost.com/american-politics) US POLITICS  DIASPORA      (https://www.jpost.com/opinion) OPINION  PODCAST      JUDAISM      (https://www.jpost.com/kabbalah) KABBALAH  CHRISTIAN WORLD      HEALTH & WELLNESS      (https://www.jpost.com/science) SCIENCE  (https://www.jpost.com/law) LAW  ARCHAEOLOGY      (https://www.jpost.com/omg) OMG  (https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change) ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE  (https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes) FOOD & RECIPES  (https://www.jpost.com/history) HISTORY   (https://www.jpost.com/special-content) SPONSORED CONTENT  (https://www.jpost.com/advertise) ADVERTISE WITH US  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/termsofservice.aspx) TERMS OF USE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/privacypolicy.aspx) PRIVACY POLICY  (https://www.jpost.com/contactus) CONTACT US  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service/cancel-subscription) CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION  (https://www.jpost.com/customer-service) CUSTOMER SERVICE  (https://www.jpost.com/landedpages/aboutus.aspx) ABOUT US       (https://www.jpost.com/) Jerusalem Post /  (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east) Middle East   'Like a biblical battle': WP journalist wounded in West Bank credits Palestinian youth with rescue Levine, along with a group of Palestinians, journalists, and activists, was attacked by the settlers while harvesting olives near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.  (Share)         (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=https://www.jpost.com/)      Follow us on Google     (Heidi Levine, a photojournalist with the Washington Post, speaks to journalists at the hospital after sustaining multiple injuries during an attack by Israeli militant settlers on Palestinians harvesting olives, in Ramallah in the West Bank, October 16, 2026.) (Heidi Levine, a photojournalist with the Washington Post, speaks to journalists at the hospital after sustaining multiple injuries during an attack by Israeli militant settlers on Palestinians harvesting olives, in Ramallah in the West Bank, October 16, 2026.)   Heidi Levine, a photojournalist with the Washington Post, speaks to journalists at the hospital after sustaining multiple injuries during an attack by Israeli militant settlers on Palestinians harvesting olives, in Ramallah in the West Bank, October 16, 2026.  (photo credit: REUTERS/ALI SAWAFTA )    By (https://www.jpost.com/author/tzvi-jasper) TZVI JASPER    OCTOBER 22, 2026 09:40  Updated:  OCTOBER 22, 2026 10:01   Heidi Levine, the photojournalist for The Washington Post  who was (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-911911) seriously wounded during an attack by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank over the weekend, told The Guardian on Wednesday that she had been protected by Palestinian youth.  "The Palestinian youth put themselves in front and were trying to keep them [the settlers] away, keep a protective shield, which was amazing," Levine said, describing the scene as being "like a biblical battle."   Levine, along with a group of Palestinians, journalists, and activists, was (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-911961) attacked by the settlers while harvesting olives near Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.  "All hell broke loose," she recounted. "Some of the farmers started to gather their tarps and bags of olives that they had picked... all of a sudden I hear a machine gun, and then saw tear gas in the distance. I started to run."  Levine said she was kicked and beaten with sticks "probably more than a hundred times," including after she tried playing dead. She also said that she feared that, if she hadn't lain down with her face to the ground, she could have suffered brain damage or lost an eye from the beating.   (Masked extremist Jewish settlers clash with Palestinians during the annual olive harvest in the village of Abu Falah, near Ramallah in the West Bank, where several people, including American photojournalist Heidi Levine, were injured in an attack by Israeli settlers, October 16, 2026.)  Masked extremist Jewish settlers clash with Palestinians during the annual olive harvest in the village of Abu Falah, near Ramallah in the West Bank, where several people, including American photojournalist Heidi Levine, were injured in an attack by Israeli settlers, October 16, 2026. (credit: FLASH90)    The settlers were forced back by Palestinian youth using slingshots to hurl stones at them, allowing US journalist Jasper Nathaniel to approach and assist Levine.  "It is no exaggeration to say that young Palestinians armed only with stones risked their lives to save Heidi Levine’s,” Nathaniel claimed afterward.  'A teddy bear on the phone': Herzog apologizes to wounded photojournalist  After the incident, President (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-912478) Isaac Herzog called Levine to apologize.   “He was a teddy bear on the phone,” she recalled. “He kept saying I just want to give you a big hug and these are not representative of who this country is, they’re a dark stain, and he called them thugs.”  Levine was angered, however, by a claim from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office that some video footage of the "alleged attack" on her appeared to show one of the attackers knocking her down and immediately helping her back up.   “That’s such bulls***. They helped me up because they couldn’t get my things off of me. That’s why,” she said. “They robbed me of everything I have – a pouch with my documents, my American passport, credit card, camera disk, and a small camera bag with two other lenses. Everything is gone… That’s why [they stood me up], and then they threw me back down and continued to kick and hit me.”  She said that she was not confident that the settlers involved would be brought to justice, arguing that "it’s not just arresting these teenage thugs. It’s going after their leaders, the rabbis, and how they’re organized.”  Ten suspects arrested after attack in West Bank  The IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and Israel Police (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/crime-in-israel/article-912116) arrested 10 suspects early Monday morning relating to the attack.  The operation, dubbed "Operation Olive Leaf," also included the confiscation of several vehicles and the clearing of some illegal construction.  Responding to the broader situation of the US and EU accusing Israel, and to some extent, specifically the IDF, of losing control of extremist settler violence in the West Bank, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he would transfer the issue to be handled by the police.  Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.     The Midnight Dispatch The one email that makes sense of the Middle East. Iran, the Gulf, Syria, Turkey, and whatever moved that day, from The Jerusalem Post, every evening.  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IDF investigating arson against Eleazar's tomb near Nablus   (https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-912514) (Palestinians, along with Jewish and international peace activists, take part in the olive harvest in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron in the West Bank, October 13, 2026.) (Palestinians, along with Jewish and international peace activists, take part in the olive harvest in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron in the West Bank, October 13, 2026.)  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