JERUSALEM, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian residents and journalists during an olive harvest in the village of Abu Falah in the occupied West Bank on Friday, according to statements issued by the Israeli military and police, alongside media reports.
Heidi Levine, a veteran U.S. photographer for The Washington Post, was slightly injured and taken to a hospital in the Ramallah area.
Reports said Levine, wearing a protective vest marked "PRESS" on both the front and back, was knocked to the ground, repeatedly kicked, and had her cameras and mobile phone taken.
Palestine's official news agency WAFA reported that several Palestinians were injured in settler attacks on residents and olive pickers in Abu Falah and other West Bank communities.
The attacks, it said, took place under the protection of Israeli military forces and involved live fire, physical assaults, and the burning of vehicles and olive trees.
Israeli police said the assailants threw stones and set vehicles on fire.
The Israeli military said its forces used riot-control measures to disperse the confrontation.
"Violence and harm against innocent people is a serious and intolerable phenomenon that requires a coordinated response by multiple agencies," the military said. ■
