Israeli police announced on Monday that they have arrested 10 suspects due to settler violence in the West Bank, including attacks on an American photojournalist and European diplomats.
Details of the Incidents
Masked settlers attacked Heidi Levine, a photographer for the Washington Post, on Friday while she was covering the Palestinian olive harvest, resulting in vertebrae fractures. The next day, settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats and Bernard Baudoux, a French mayor who had traveled to the West Bank to assist with the olive harvest.
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These incidents faced severe condemnation from the United States, France, Belgium, and Poland.
Investigations and Reactions
Israeli police have stated that investigations are ongoing, and Israeli media have reported that the Israeli internal security service (Shin Bet) is also involved in the investigations. General Moshe Finci, the commander of the Israeli police in the West Bank, said: "The arrest operation was carried out before sunrise" and aimed to address "serious violent incidents over the past weekend, including the attack on a media employee and suspicious attacks on foreign civilians."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and the Israeli army have identified Israeli settlers as responsible for the attacks on the diplomats. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the diplomats entered a "sensitive area with a history of conflicts" without prior coordination with the Israeli army, adding that the facts surrounding the attack on Levine are "inexplicable."
These attacks occurred ahead of the important elections on October 27 for Netanyahu. According to the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, settler violence against Palestinians has increased, with at least 170 attacks reported since September 27.
Our reporter in Jerusalem, Tania Kramer, stated that Palestinians, journalists, and international observers are highly distrustful that these arrests will lead to indictments for the suspects. According to a study conducted by Yesh Din on police investigations into violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, only about 3% of investigations from 2005 to 2023 have resulted in full or partial convictions. More than 80% of investigations have been closed due to the failure to identify suspects or gather sufficient evidence.
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