‘Israeli’ police claim arresting 10 after settler attacks on US journalist

• The Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine suffered broken ribs and vertebrae and required surgery after being beaten while covering Palestinian olive harvesting.
• A day later, masked settlers attacked European diplomats and assaulted French mayor Bernard Baudoux in the Christian village of Taybeh.
• The incidents prompted condemnation from Washington and European governments, amid mounting criticism over the lack of accountability for settler violence.

‘Israeli’ police claimed on Monday that they had arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank following a series of settler attacks on a US photojournalist, European diplomats and a French mayor that sparked international condemnation.

Police said the suspects were detained in a pre-dawn operation on suspicion of involvement in violent incidents, violating military orders designating a closed military zone and illegal construction. Authorities said they had raided several locations and seized vehicles and potential evidence linked to the incidents. 

The suspects were not publicly identified, and police did not specify which individuals were suspected of involvement in each attack. The arrests come amid growing international pressure on ‘Israel’ to address settler violence, with prosecutions of settlers remaining rare despite years of attacks against Palestinians and their property. 

The most serious incident occurred on Friday in the village of Abu Falah, where The Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was covering the Palestinian olive harvest when she was attacked by a group of settlers.

Levine said she was forced to the ground and beaten for more than 10 minutes. She suffered multiple broken ribs and vertebrae, underwent surgery on a finger that was nearly severed and required stitches for wounds to her lower body that appeared consistent with stab injuries, according to reports. Her camera, passport and phone were also stolen, according to her account. 

US Ambassador to ‘Israel’ Mike Huckabee condemned the assault as a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards”, calling for those responsible to face prosecution and imprisonment.

US President Donald Trump’s administration also pressed for action. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington did not want to see a new crisis erupt in the West Bank, while President Isaac Herzog contacted Levine in hospital to express his condemnation of the attack. 

The following day, masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats and others visiting Taybeh, a predominantly Christian Palestinian village, where they had joined local residents in harvesting olives.

Among those assaulted was Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, who said he was knocked to the ground and beaten. The delegation included French and Belgian diplomatic representatives, Polish diplomats and Catholic figures. Settlers also assaulted Palestinian residents, including an elderly woman, and damaged a vehicle belonging to the Belgian diplomatic mission. 

France, Belgium and Poland called for action against those responsible. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said impunity for violent settlers must end, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot urged ‘Israel’ to halt the violence and arrest the perpetrators. 

The response from ‘Israeli’ leaders, however, has been mixed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned the circumstances surrounding the attacks, describing the facts of Levine’s assault as unclear and criticising the diplomats for entering a sensitive area without prior coordination with the military. He also accused critics of settlers of conducting a smear campaign.

Levine subsequently said she was “shocked and insulted” by Netanyahu’s remarks, arguing that his response cast doubt on an attack for which there was substantial eyewitness and visual evidence. 

The arrests come as settler violence intensifies during the annual Palestinian olive harvest, a crucial source of income for many Palestinian families and a recurring flashpoint in the occupied West Bank. Settlers have increasingly targeted farmers, damaged olive trees and disrupted access to agricultural land.

Read more: Rubio says US 'very disturbed' by ‘Israeli’ settler assault on American photojournalist

‘Israeli’ rights group Yesh Din has documented more than 170 settler attacks since September 27, according to reporting by The Guardian. The incidents have left Palestinians dead and injured and caused extensive damage to olive trees and other property. 

The latest attacks have drawn particular attention because they targeted foreign journalists, diplomats and public officials, rather than Palestinians alone. Palestinian residents, however, have faced repeated violence and restrictions on their access to land, with rights groups warning that perpetrators are rarely held accountable.

Whether the latest arrests will lead to prosecutions remains unclear. The detentions mark a rare enforcement action against suspected settler violence, but they come against a broader backdrop of international criticism of ‘Israel’s’ handling of attacks in the occupied territory.