Israeli police said on Monday they had arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank after West Bank settler attacks on an American photographer and a French mayor drew international condemnation and mixed signals from the Israeli government.
In a rare action against rising settler violence, police said they raided several locations across the occupied territory before dawn and seized cars and potential evidence linked to the attacks.
“Following the severe incidents of violence over the past weekend, including the assault of a media worker and the suspected attacks on foreign civilians, an arrest operation was conducted before dawn,” Major General Moshe Finchi, the Israeli police’s West Bank commander, said in a statement.
Finchi said suspects were held on suspicion of involvement in the violent incidents, violating a military commander’s order concerning a closed military zone, and illegal construction.
West Bank settler attacks target photographer and mayor
The weekend incidents involved an American photographer and a convoy of European diplomats, according to the police statement.
Heidi Levine, a 65-year-old photographer on assignment for The Washington Post, was hospitalised with broken vertebrae after the attack. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee had called the beating of Levine an “act of terror”.
Separately, a convoy of European diplomats was targeted during an olive-harvest goodwill visit in Taybeh. French mayor Bernard Baudoux, 78, was beaten during the incident.
Rare prosecutions in the West Bank
The arrests stand out because prosecutions of settlers are uncommon. Rights groups note that Israel rarely prosecutes settlers when the victims are Palestinian.
Witnesses say settlers have been stepping up violent attacks on Palestinians during the ongoing olive harvest, aiming to seize land during a season that carries deep cultural importance for Palestinian farming communities.
The Israeli human rights group Yesh Din said it has documented 561 acts of settler or military violence against Palestinians since September 27, a rate of more than 26 incidents a day.
Netanyahu casts doubt as criticism grows
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a tight race for a new mandate, has tried to shore up his pro-settlement right-wing base and has cast doubt on the circumstances behind the recent settler attacks on Westerners.
His tone has drawn unusually strong criticism from the opposition, which has accused him of tarnishing Israel’s image abroad.
Separately, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused Israel of an “ethnic cleansing” campaign and warned businesses against any involvement in the construction of the E1 settlement, adding to the international pressure on the government.
Why it matters
The episode highlights how the olive harvest season has become a flashpoint in the West Bank, with settler violence at its peak and Palestinian farmers facing pressure on their land. Feature Pakistan has tracked the wider regional tensions, including Pakistan’s action at the UN on Resolution 2803 and Gaza food aid funding cuts, as the crisis continues to shape diplomacy across the region.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were arrested over the West Bank settler attacks?
Israeli police said 10 people were arrested in pre-dawn raids across the occupied West Bank, with cars and potential evidence seized.
Who were the victims of the weekend attacks?
American photographer Heidi Levine, 65, was hospitalised with broken vertebrae, and French mayor Bernard Baudoux, 78, was beaten during an olive-harvest goodwill visit in Taybeh.
How common is settler violence in the West Bank?
The rights group Yesh Din documented 561 acts of settler or military violence against Palestinians since September 27, averaging more than 26 incidents a day.
