Journalist undergoes surgery, suffers broken vertebrae after Israeli settler attack

Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine is undergoing surgery on her finger, which was nearly detached from her hand after she was beaten by settlers in the West Bank, her daughter says.

Ashley Milner tells The Associated Press that the finger on her mother’s left hand was cut to the bone and a tendon was visible. She says Levine also has a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae as well as lacerations across her body.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages across the West Bank yesterday, setting fire to cars and trees and beating residents as well as Levine in the latest violence to disrupt the territory’s annual olive harvest this month.

Levine said the perpetrators — armed with bottles and slingshots — “were kicking me for like 10 minutes and I was trying to hold onto my cameras and my bag.” She said her helmet and protective vest, which was marked “PRESS,” likely saved her from more serious injuries.

Settler violence against Palestinians has soared this year and spiked further in the weeks leading up to Israel’s October 27 election. Israeli authorities have been accused by local residents and rights groups of doing little to stop the attacks.