American journalist injured in West Bank clashes

Several Palestinians and an American photojournalist working for the Washington Post were injured after a group of masked Israeli men attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the West Bank , according to videos, eyewitnesses and Palestinian authorities.

Video of the incident obtained by CBS News showed a group of around 20 masked men clad in black or gray clothes descending a hill from the area of an Israeli settlement outpost into an olive grove near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah.

Another video from the incident showed two vehicles set on fire and a Palestinian man with a bloodied face being escorted away from the area by a woman and a man.

Among the injured was Heidi Levine, a veteran American photojournalist working with the Washington Post.

Video shared by the Israel-based Foreign Press Association showed Levine was surrounded by masked men, pushed to the ground and beaten, and her camera equipment taken from her.

While Levine was on the ground, the video showed the masked men throwing stones and firing slingshots at Palestinians, who then responded by throwing stones themselves.

Footage of Levine in her hospital bed showed she had a large wound on one of her legs and one of her hands had been bandaged.

"I was attacked, pushed to the ground. Luckily I had my flak jacket and helmet, otherwise I probably wouldn't even be here, because they just kept kicking and kicking me," Levine said from her hospital bed.

In a statement , the Washington Post confirmed the attack, saying Levine "was knocked to the ground, repeatedly kicked and robbed of her cameras and phone despite wearing a protective vest marked 'PRESS' and a helmet."

Israel's police and military said they had opened investigations into the incident.

The Israeli military said its forces used riot control measures to disperse the confrontation. The military added that soldiers fired warning shots in the air and also fired toward a suspect who ran toward soldiers holding "a sharp object and posed a threat to them."

"The Israel Defense Forces strongly condemns this incident and views any manifestation of violence with utmost severity. Attempts to incite friction between populations undermine security in the area," the Israeli military said.

The Binyamin Regional Council, an Israeli governmental body responsible for settlements in the area of the clashes, said the Palestinian Authority had sent activists to deliberately provoke residents of the Israeli settlement outpost near Abu Falah.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it treated three Palestinians for injuries at Abu Falah. The wounded included a man who had been shot in the thigh, according to WAFA, the official media arm of the Palestinian Authority.