Israel arrests 10 people after West Bank settler attacks on diplomats, journalist

The Associated Press

· Posted: Oct 19, 2026 9:33 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Israeli police said they arrested 10 people on Monday in connection with a wave of settler violence that included attacks on a foreign journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank over the weekend.

Israel had come under heavy international criticism for the attacks. Israeli police did not identify the suspects or specify their roles in the attacks, which came during a spike in settler violence during the annual Palestinian olive harvest season.

Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was beaten by a crowd of young male settlers, leaving her with several broken ribs and vertebrae in the village of Abu Falah. She also underwent surgery on a finger that was nearly severed and is recovering from what appeared to be stab wounds to her lower body, which required stitches.

A day later, masked settlers attacked a group of European diplomats and others visiting the Christian village of Taybeh.

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Israeli police said they have been collecting evidence and witness statements since the weekend attacks. The suspects were transferred for questioning.

They said the Shin Bet internal security agency, the paramilitary border police force and the Israeli military had all participated in the investigation.

Police said Monday's operation also targeted people suspected of violating military orders declaring a closed military zone and offences involving illegal construction. They said they seized several vehicles and items linking suspects to alleged offences.

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European allies angered

Settler violence has surged in recent years, and rights groups say that attackers are rarely arrested or punished for attacks on Palestinians.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been attacked and a few have been killed this olive harvest alone, which started in late September, rights groups have said. Olive trees, a central part of history and heritage for Palestinians, have been destroyed.

A Palestinian man walks into a house on Monday that was damaged following an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya. (Leo Correa/The Associated Press)

The attack on diplomats targeted Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives.

"Impunity for violent settlers must end," Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said afterward.

Levine told AP on Sunday she was "shocked and insulted" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had cast doubt on the attack, which was witnessed by a crowd of people, adding that the prime minister "had all the evidence on the table."

In contrast, she described the sharp condemnation of settler violence expressed to her in a call from Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, and in a letter signed by several of the country's top former security and intelligence officials.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the attack as a "despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards" and said they should spend years in prison.

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Netanyahu, two weeks out from close elections that could end his time in power, is again confronted with an issue that has drawn growing international condemnation. Much of the world considers the settlements in the West Bank illegal, and yet construction and expansion continue.

Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu's main rival in the elections, said on X that "a handful of criminals is burning up the last shreds of legitimacy left to the state of Israel."