Israeli police arrest 10 over West Bank settler attacks

Israeli police said they arrested 10 people on Monday, October 19, in connection with a wave of settler violence that included attacks on a foreign journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank over the weekend. According to law enforcement, the Shin Bet internal security agency, the paramilitary border police force, and the Israeli military participated in the investigation.

Israeli Police and Security Forces Conduct Raids

Authorities collected evidence and witness statements since the weekend attacks and transferred the suspects for questioning. Police stated that the operation on Monday also targeted people suspected of violating military orders declaring a closed military zone and offences involving illegal construction, and they seized several vehicles and items linking suspects to alleged offences. Officers did not identify the suspects or specify their roles in the attacks, which came during a spike in settler violence during the annual Palestinian olive harvest season.

Attacks on Journalist Heidi Levine and European Diplomats

On Friday, Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten by a crowd of young male settlers, leaving her with several broken ribs and vertebrae in the village of Abu Falah. She also underwent surgery on a finger that was nearly severed and is recovering from what appeared to be stab wounds to her lower body, which required stitches.

A day later, masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats and others visiting the Christian village of Taybeh. The attack on diplomats targeted Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives. Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old mayor of the French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was beaten, and a Belgian diplomatic vehicle was damaged.

International Condemnation and Political Discrepancies

The attacks brought heavy international criticism against Israel. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the attack on Levine as a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards” and said the suspects should spend years in prison. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot stated, “Impunity for violent settlers must end.” Israel’s president and several opposition politicians also spoke out against the attack.

From her hospital bed, Levine said she was “shocked and insulted” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had cast doubt on the attack by calling it “alleged.” Netanyahu stated that the diplomats drove into a "sensitive area" with no coordination with the army and described the facts of the Levine case as "unclear." Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and the military pinned the assault on the diplomats on "Israeli rioters," and President Isaac Herzog apologised to Levine.

Rights groups say that settler violence has surged in recent years and that attackers are rarely arrested or punished for attacks on Palestinians. Police stated they have been collecting evidence and witness statements since the weekend attacks as the suspects were transferred for questioning.