Israeli Police Arrest 10 Suspects Over Settler Attacks on US Journalist, European Diplomats

Israeli police arrested 10 suspects on Oct. 19 over separate attacks by Israeli settlers on a U.S. journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank, after the incidents prompted international condemnation.

Israeli police said the suspects are believed to be linked to violent disturbances and violations of closed military zone orders.

The arrests came after violent incidents in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, including an attack on European diplomats and Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was assaulted while covering a Palestinian olive harvest.

Washington called on Israel to crack down on settler violence, while France, Belgium, and Poland also urged Israeli authorities to act after their diplomats were attacked.

Speaking to the press on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration was “very disturbed” by the images of the incident.

“The President doesn’t want to see a crisis in the West Bank. We don’t need that right now. Israel doesn’t need that right now,” he said.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee welcomed the arrests, calling them “a very positive development.”

Police said officers, soldiers, and the Shin Bet domestic security service carried out the operation. Video released by police appeared to show one suspect wearing tzitzit, ritual tassels worn by some observant Jewish men. Officers also appeared to recover two slingshots.

Levine, a U.S. citizen, said the attackers were masked men wearing tzitzit. Israeli President Isaac Herzog later apologized, saying the “violent rioters” who “brutally attacked” her did not represent Israel’s values.

Violence continued the following day when masked settlers attacked French, Belgian, and Polish diplomats, a French mayor, and Palestinian civilians near the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh. A Belgian diplomatic vehicle was also damaged.

The attack prompted a visit to Taybeh on Oct. 18 by U.S. diplomats, including Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barnes and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch. The delegation met members of the local Christian community.

Israeli Leaders Respond

The Israeli police said on Monday that it condemns all forms of violence and that “anyone involved in these incidents faces judicial process, regardless of background.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned what he described as “severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters in the area of Taybeh.”

“The Foreign Ministry is in contact with the ambassadors of the countries concerned in order to assist the law enforcement authorities, who are working to identify the attackers and bring them to justice,” he said on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a general election next week, condemned any violence against diplomats but urged against reaching conclusions before investigations into the incidents are completed.

“Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable,” Netanyahu said in a Saturday post on X.

“The diplomatic delegation entered a sensitive area with a history of confrontations without prior coordination with the IDF, as officially confirmed by the military. Such coordination is essential to protecting visiting diplomats and preventing violence.”

The attacks have renewed attention on rising settler violence in the West Bank.

According to Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group, at least 170 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have been recorded since Sept. 27. The group said journalists, Israeli activists, and foreign observers have also been targeted.

The West Bank was captured by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. Since then, Israel has maintained military control over much of the territory. Under the 1993 and 1995 Oslo peace accords, parts of the West Bank came under Palestinian self-rule, while Israel retained varying levels of control over the territory.

Israeli settlements in the area have been a key source of tension between Israelis and Palestinians since Israel’s capture of the West Bank.

Last month, the UK, joined by France and Canada, said it plans to restrict trade with the settlements, whose activity it said undermines the prospects of a future Palestinian state.

Israeli officials, including Herzog and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, condemned the plans.

Reuters contributed to this report.