Israeli authorities announced the apprehension of ten individuals on Monday in relation to a series of settler attacks, including assaults on a foreign journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank over the weekend. The attacks had drawn significant international criticism, prompting Israeli police to take action without disclosing the identities of the suspects or their specific roles in the incidents. The violence occurred amid heightened settler aggression during the annual Palestinian olive harvest season.
Photographer Heidi Levine from The Washington Post was viciously attacked by a group of young male settlers in the village of Abu Falah, resulting in multiple broken ribs, vertebrae injuries, and a finger requiring surgery. She also sustained apparent stab wounds to her lower body that needed stitches. In a separate incident, masked settlers targeted a group of European diplomats and other visitors in the Christian village of Taybeh.
Israeli police confirmed the ongoing collection of evidence and witness testimonies following the assaults. The suspects were detained for further interrogation, with the Shin Bet internal security agency, border police, and military collaborating in the investigation. Monday’s operation aimed at individuals suspected of violating military orders designating areas as closed military zones and engaging in illegal construction activities. Several vehicles and items linking the suspects to the alleged offenses were confiscated.
Settler violence has surged in recent years, with perpetrators seldom facing arrest or punishment for their attacks on Palestinians. Rights groups have reported numerous assaults, with some resulting in fatalities, during this year’s olive harvest season that commenced in late September. The destruction of olive trees, vital to Palestinian history and heritage, has also been documented.
European diplomats, including Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish representatives, and Catholic officials, were among those targeted in the attacks. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot emphasized the need to end the impunity enjoyed by violent settlers. Photographer Heidi Levine expressed dismay at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s skepticism about the attack, contrasting it with the strong condemnation of settler violence from Israel’s president and former security officials.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee denounced the assault as a “despicable act of terror” carried out by masked perpetrators and advocated for severe punishment. With critical elections looming, Netanyahu faces renewed scrutiny over the settlements in the West Bank, considered illegal by much of the international community. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot condemned the actions of the perpetrators, characterizing them as undermining Israel’s credibility.