Israeli police have arrested 10 suspects in connection with violent incidents in the occupied West Bank, including attacks on a United States journalist and European diplomats over the weekend.
The arrests followed international calls for Israeli authorities to take action against settler violence after a Washington Post photojournalist, Heidi Levine, was injured while covering a Palestinian olive harvest.
Police announced on Monday that the suspects were apprehended during a pre-dawn operation.
They are being investigated for alleged involvement in violent acts, violating a closed military zone order and illegal construction.
The identities of the suspects were not disclosed. However, Israel’s Army Radio reported that they were Israeli citizens.
The operation involved the police, military forces and the Shin Bet domestic security service.
Footage released by the police appeared to show two slingshots recovered from a property, while one of the arrested suspects was seen wearing tzitzit, ritual tassels commonly worn by observant Jewish men.
The arrests came after dozens of masked Israeli settlers, some reportedly armed, descended on Palestinian olive harvesters on Friday.
Some allegedly threw stones using slingshots during the incident in which Levine was attacked.
Levine, a United States citizen, sustained multiple injuries and was taken to hospital, where she underwent surgery on a finger.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee welcomed the arrests, describing them as “a very positive development in finding & punishing those who severely attacked and beat” the journalist.
The United States had previously urged Israel to crack down on settler violence and ensure those responsible for the assault on Levine were arrested.
France, Belgium and Poland also called on Israeli authorities to respond after their diplomats were attacked by masked settlers on Saturday in a separate incident in the West Bank.
A Belgian diplomatic vehicle was also damaged, while a French mayor was among those reportedly targeted.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and the military condemned the incident involving the diplomats, blaming what they described as “Israeli rioters”.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a more cautious response.
He said the diplomats had entered a “sensitive area with a history of confrontations” without coordinating with the military.
Regarding the assault on Levine, he maintained that the facts were “unclear”.
Levine had said she was attacked by masked men wearing tzitzit.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologised for the assault, saying the “violent rioters” who “brutally attacked” her did not represent Israel’s values.
Announcing the arrests, Israeli police commissioner Daniel Levy stressed that the law applied to everyone, regardless of their identity or affiliations.
“The Israel Police is committed to professional, equal, and impartial law enforcement, based on evidence and in accordance with the law,” he said.
The investigation comes amid growing concerns over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
According to Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din, at least 170 settler attacks have been recorded since September 27.
Journalists, Israeli activists and foreign observers have also been among those targeted.
The arrests come ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, with Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition projected to lose its governing majority.
