Israeli police arrest 10 after settler attacks on journalist, diplomats
Israeli police announced on Monday that they have taken into custody ten individuals suspected of involvement in a series of settler‑related assaults in the occupied West Bank over the weekend. The arrests, made early on Monday, relate to violent incidents, breaches of a closed‑military‑zone order and illegal construction, according to police statements. While the authorities did not release the names of those detained, Israel’s Army Radio reported that all ten are Israeli citizens.
The detentions come amid a wave of settler violence that has disrupted the annual Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank. International criticism of the attacks has intensified, with the United Kingdom labeling the actions as “ethnic cleansing” and imposing sanctions on products from illegal Israeli settlements.
The United States welcomed the arrests. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee wrote on X that the arrests represent “a very positive development in finding & punishing those who severely attacked and beat” Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine. Levine was assaulted on Friday by a group of male settlers in the village of Abu Falah. The attack left her with several broken ribs and vertebrae, a nearly severed finger that required surgery, and stab‑wound injuries to her lower body that needed stitches.
A day after Levine’s assault, masked settlers attacked European diplomats in the Christian town of Taybeh. Delegates from France, Belgium and Poland were among those targeted, prompting the three countries to call on Israel to take decisive action. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and military officials attributed the incident to “Israeli rioters.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose religious coalition faces the prospect of losing its governing majority in the election scheduled for October 27, offered a more cautious assessment. He said the diplomats had entered “a sensitive area with a history of confrontations” without coordinating with the military, and described the facts surrounding Levine’s attack as “unclear.” Levine responded that she felt “shocked and insulted” by the prime minister’s remarks.
Human‑rights groups note that settler‑related attacks in the West Bank have risen sharply in recent years and that perpetrators are seldom arrested or held accountable for their actions.