04/16/07

Violent clash in Middle East yields Pulitzer Prize-winning photo

By NAHAL TOOSI
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oded Balilty was covering a violent clash in the West Bank last year when he came across a haunting image: Israeli officers in riot gear pushing against a lone Jewish settler who resisted their charge with all her might.

"I saw this woman hesitate a little bit, and I saw the line of the police and I just grabbed my camera," said The Associated Press photographer. "It just was there."

The photo won Balilty the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography on Monday.

The image stemmed from a clash in the West Bank settlement of Amona, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah, in February 2006. About 200 people were wounded as hundreds of stone-throwing Jewish settlers resisted a forced evacuation of the illegal outpost. The violence came after a court allowed the demolition of nine homes at the site.

Balilty said he and a colleague were covering the clashes and at one point, they decided to split up and stake out different positions. That's when he captured the woman's fierce resistance.

"It is a stunning single image that captures the chaos and emotion of that evacuation," AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said Monday.

The picture has previously been honored in photojournalism competitions that include World Press Photo, National Press Photographers Association, Pictures of the Year International, Atlanta Photojournalism 2006 and Headliner Awards 2007. Balilty credited his editors and colleagues for their support and help.

"This picture is the best example of the perfect teamwork," he said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem, where he was born and is based. He was hired by the AP for its Jerusalem photo staff in 2002.

Balilty's award marked the AP's 49th Pulitzer and the 30th for photos. He was also part of a team of photographers who were finalists in the breaking news category, for their coverage of the war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

It is a rare feat for any one reporter or photographer to be nominated twice in one category, said Sig Gissler, administrator of the Pulitzers.

"I feel like today I kissed the moon. It's amazing," Balilty said. "I never even imagined it would happen to me."