TEL AVIV — Israeli police said on Monday they arrested 10 Israelis as part of an investigation into violent incidents in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, including separate attacks on a Washington Post journalist and European diplomats.Police did not identify the suspects, who were taken into custody for questioning, or disclose any accusations against them. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, had urged a crackdown on settler violence and the arrest of the perpetrators of the attack on the Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, a US citizen.France, Belgium and Poland, whose diplomats were attacked, also called on Israel to take action.Police said the suspects were arrested in a pre-dawn operation on suspicion of involvement in acts of violence, violating a closed military zone order and illegal construction.The suspects were taken into custody for questioning. Israel’s Army Radio reported that they were Israeli citizens.US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on X that the arrests were “a very positive development in finding and punishing those who severely attacked and beat” Levine.Huckabee, whose recent comments have condemned settler attacks on US citizens but not on Palestinians overall, called the attack on Levine a “despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards” and said they should spend years in prison.A video released by the police of the pre-dawn operation appeared to show at least one arrested suspect, whose face is not seen, wearing ritual tassels known as tzitzit, which are often worn by observant Jewish men.The video also appeared to show two slingshots, which can be used to hurl stones, being found at one property.Masked Israeli settlers were filmed on Friday assaulting Levine, who was covering a Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank. Levine was taken to hospital and underwent surgery on a finger.Levine said on Sunday she was particularly angry because Israel’s military seems to protect the settlers more than the Palestinians they threaten.Levine, from her hospital bed, has told The Associated Press she was “shocked and insulted” that Netanyahu referred to the attack on her and others as “alleged,” adding that the prime minister “had all the evidence on the table.”Levine blamed “Jewish terrorists” for Friday’s attack and added: “I’ve been covering this region for over 40 years, and I have never seen this country in such a state as it is today.”Levine was recovering Sunday from injuries that included what appeared to be stab wounds in her buttocks, which required stitches. Levin said she has sought to show how the violence is “increasing, becoming more and more dangerous.”She said the attackers — armed with bottles and slingshots — “were kicking me for like 10 minutes and I was trying to hold on to my cameras and my bag.” Her helmet and protective vest, which was marked “PRESS,” likely saved her from more serious injuries.But she and others have openly wondered who will protect Palestinians. Rights groups have said few settlers are ever punished for the attacks that have surged in recent years.“It’s about time you do something, Mr. Prime Minister,” Levine said.As for herself, she plans to return to work.“I’ve invested decades of blood, sweat and tears into this,” she said. “They cracked my bones, they haven’t cracked my spirit.”Israeli police commissioner Daniel Levy said the law applied to everyone, “regardless of identity or affiliation”.”The Israel Police is committed to professional, equal, and impartial law enforcement, based on evidence and in accordance with the law,” he said in a statement announcing the arrests.Prosecutions of Israeli settlers are rare.Israeli radio station Galatz reported the suspects were Israelis and that the Shin Bet domestic security service was taking part in the investigation. On Saturday, European diplomats and a French mayor were attacked by masked settlers in another part of the West Bank. The weekend violence has drawn condemnation from the United States, Israel’s closest ally, and from France, Belgium and Poland, whose diplomats were attacked on Saturday.While Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and the Israeli military blamed “Israeli rioters” for the attack on the diplomats, Netanyahu, whose coalition is projected to lose its governing majority at the October 27 election, has been more circumspect.He has said the diplomats entered a “sensitive area with a history of confrontations without prior coordination” with the Israeli military, and that the facts of the attack on Levine were “unclear”. Settler attacks on the Palestinians are surging, with at least 170 since September 27, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights group. Journalists, Israeli activists and foreign observers have also been targeted.
Keep Up to Date with our Weekly Newsletter
