Police Arrest 10 Suspects in West Bank Settler Attacks on Journalist, Diplomats | Israel Politics Post
Police Arrest 10 Suspects in West Bank Settler Attacks on Journalist, Diplomats
A joint police, Shin Bet and IDF operation detained 10 Israeli suspects at dawn Monday over the weekend violence that injured a Washington Post photojournalist and targeted European diplomats near Taybeh.
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By Israel Politics Post Staff·Published
Police arrest a suspect in connection with a settler attack in the West Bank · Source: Israel Police video screenshot, via The Times of Israel
Israeli police announced the arrest of 10 suspected settler extremists on Monday, days after a wave of weekend violence in the West Bank left a Washington Post photojournalist injured and European diplomats under attack, The Times of Israel reported. The dawn raids, part of an operation police called "Olive Leaf," were carried out jointly with the Shin Bet security service and an IDF escort, with evidence and several vehicles seized from locations near the Ofra and Shiloh settlements.
The arrests follow a string of incidents that drew sharp international criticism: masked settlers attacked Palestinian farmers harvesting olives, photojournalist Heidi Levine was beaten and seriously injured on Friday, and a convoy of European diplomats came under assault near Taybeh on Saturday. The US State Department voiced concern over the violence, while the EU demanded "full accountability," even as Prime Minister Netanyahu initially cast doubt on both incidents and said they required further investigation.
The suspects now face scrutiny over their alleged role in the violent incidents, along with separate allegations of violating closed military zone orders and illegal construction in the area. Despite the arrests, settler activity reportedly continued into the new week, with further raids, spray-painted buildings, and fires set to containers and vehicles reported in Wadi a-Rahim and Beit Ummar on Sunday and Monday.
Settler violence in the West Bank has escalated sharply over the past year, and police enforcement has remained comparatively rare even as international pressure over the issue has mounted. Monday's arrests mark one of the more significant law-enforcement responses to the pattern so far.
