Israel arrests 10 suspects over attacks on journalist, European diplomats in West Bank

Israeli police have arrested at least 10 suspects over attacks by Israeli settlers on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine and a group of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank, amid growing US pressure on Israel to curb settler violence.The arrests were made under an operation named “Olive Leaf”, launched in coordination with the Israeli military, police said. Security forces searched the areas where the attacks took place, seized vehicles and collected evidence linking the suspects to the incidents, CNN reported.“We are working to collect evidence, findings and testimonies and to consolidate an evidentiary infrastructure that will enable bringing those involved to justice,” Israeli police superintendent Moshe Pinchi said in a statement.US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee welcomed the arrests, describing them as a “very positive development” in efforts to identify and punish those responsible for assaulting Levine.Two attacks during olive harvestLevine, a veteran photojournalist, was assaulted on Friday while travelling with a group of Palestinians at the start of the olive harvest in the Binyamin region.She was hospitalised and underwent surgery on Saturday, with reports describing her condition as moderate.A day later, settlers attacked a group of European diplomats visiting Taybeh, a Palestinian Christian town east of Ramallah.The incident drew condemnation from European governments and Canada, with officials calling for accountability and better protection for civilians and diplomatic representatives.Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the violence and said a police investigation had been opened. He also noted that the diplomatic delegation’s visit had not been coordinated with the Israeli military in advance.The Israeli military separately condemned the attack and said soldiers had accompanied police and forensic investigators to collect evidence and record witness testimony.A preliminary military inquiry found that no Israeli soldiers were present when the attack occurred.US urges Israel to curb settler violenceThe arrests came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration had urged Israel to take action against settler violence in the West Bank.“We’ve asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff,” Rubio said on Saturday, according to CNN. He added that President Donald Trump did not want to see tensions escalate into a crisis in the territory.Israeli human rights group Yesh Din has documented more than 530 incidents of settler violence since the olive harvest began in late September, averaging 27 incidents a day.Israeli soldiers were present during roughly a quarter of the attacks documented over the period, the group said.Despite video footage of the assaults on Levine and the diplomats, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has questioned aspects of the incidents, saying “serious questions remain”.He has repeatedly described settler violence as the actions of a rogue group, a position that has drawn scrutiny amid concerns over the scale of the attacks.Separately, Israel’s defence minister said on Monday that he would not reinstate administrative detention for Jewish Israelis, a measure that allows suspects to be held without charge or trial. The policy had previously been used against suspected settler extremists but was cancelled for Jewish Israelis nearly two years ago.Trump endorsed Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, describing the prime minister as “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant” in a social media post on Sunday.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.