Israeli police have detained 10 individuals following a rare operation targeting Jewish settlers in connection with a series of violent incidents in the occupied West Bank. The arrests come after a weekend marked by attacks on foreign journalists, diplomats, and Palestinians, drawing widespread international condemnation.
Among the victims was Heidi Levine, a U.S. photojournalist working for The Washington Post, who was severely assaulted while covering the olive harvest in a Palestinian village near Ramallah on Friday. Levine reported being knocked down, kicked, and beaten by masked Israeli assailants. Medical examinations revealed she suffered four broken vertebrae, a severely injured finger requiring surgery, and multiple lacerations. From her hospital bed, she described the attack as an “attempted lynching” carried out by a group of Jewish settlers.
The following day, European diplomats accompanied by Palestinians engaged in olive picking near Taybeh were also attacked by Israeli settlers wielding sticks and iron bars. The violence included assaults on a French mayor visiting the area, damage to an official vehicle, and serious injuries to a young Palestinian man.
Despite clear evidence of these attacks, including visible injuries and video footage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu questioned the severity and authenticity of the incidents. He referred to the reports of violence against Levine and the diplomats as “alleged” and “unproven,” prompting sharp criticism from international officials. Among those condemning the response were U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, European governments, and Matt Murray, editor of The Washington Post.
In response to the incidents, Israeli police released footage of their recent raid on settlers suspected in the attacks and related to the unauthorized construction of an outpost in the West Bank. A court later extended the detention of six suspects connected to the assaults on foreign nationals by an additional three to four days.
The attacks against foreigners and Palestinians, as well as the degree of official response, have underscored longstanding concerns about settler violence in the West Bank. Human rights group Yesh Din has reported 561 cases of violence involving settlers and Israeli soldiers against Palestinians since late September, averaging more than 26 incidents daily.
Levine highlighted the disparity in attention given to violence against foreign nationals compared to the widespread and ongoing attacks faced by Palestinians throughout the West Bank. “People are dealing with this, undergoing attacks, losing property, losing family members, being injured all across the West Bank and nothing is being done,” she said. The recent developments have intensified international scrutiny of the Israeli government’s handling of settler violence in the occupied territories.