“America First”—Except When an American Is Attacked?

Dear President Trump,

On October 16, American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who works with The Washington Post, was brutally beaten by masked Israeli settlers while covering Palestinian olive harvesters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Her camera equipment and other belongings were also stolen. She was hospitalized with serious injuries. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/10/16/palestinians-washington-post-photographer-attacked-west-bank/

I have yet to hear you personally speak out about this attack. Why the silence, Mr. President? Did the cat get your tongue?

Independent journalist and Palestine activist Andrey X (@the_andrey_x) shared a video of Levine recounting the attack from her hospital bed. The footage and subsequent reporting make this incident difficult to dismiss. Surely, Mr. President, your staff—and our ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee—are aware of what happened.

You have repeatedly promised to put America first. Yet when an American journalist is violently attacked while doing her job abroad, where is your personal response? Where is the public demand for accountability?

The attackers were reportedly masked, and Levine was identifiable as a journalist. If those responsible believed they could act with impunity, that raises an urgent question: Why should anyone expect this violence to stop if perpetrators are not held accountable?

These attacks also raise serious questions about the conduct of Israeli authorities and the protection afforded to Palestinian civilians and international observers. Reports indicate that Israeli soldiers were present in the area, although the circumstances surrounding their actions and response require a thorough, impartial investigation.

The problem extends beyond one journalist and one terrible incident. Palestinian farmers face violence and intimidation while trying to harvest their olives and earn a living from their land. Journalists who document these events must also be able to work without fear of being assaulted, robbed, or silenced.

The reported attack on Levine is especially troubling because she is an American citizen. But let me be clear: Palestinian victims deserve the same protection, dignity, and justice. Their suffering should not matter less simply because they do not hold an American passport.

Mr. President, your administration continues to provide substantial military assistance to Israel. That relationship gives the United States both influence and responsibility. American assistance should come with serious expectations that violence against civilians and journalists will be investigated and that that responsible will be held accountable.

The question is not whether the United States should protect its citizens. Of course it should. The question is whether the principle you call “America First” will be applied consistently, even when doing so requires confronting a close ally.

What happened to your “America First” promise, sir? Does that principle apply only when it is politically convenient, or does it also apply when an American journalist is attacked abroad?

I urge you to speak publicly about Heidi Levine’s case, call for a full and impartial investigation, and demand accountability for those responsible. I also urge your administration to press Israeli authorities to take concrete measures to protect Palestinian civilians, farmers, and journalists from further violence.

An American citizen deserves protection and justice, regardless of who the perpetrators are. So do Palestinians.

Mr. President, America First must mean that American lives and rights matter—not only in words, but in action.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes about U.S. foreign policy, Middle Eastern affairs, and justice.