10 arrested as Israeli police investigate settler attacks on journalist and diplomats
Ten suspects arrested
Police said the arrests were linked to a wave of settler attacks in the occupied West Bank over the weekend, including assaults on a US photojournalist and European diplomats. They did not identify the suspects.
Israel’s Army Radio reported that all 10 were Israeli citizens. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the arrests “a very positive development,” saying they could help find and punish those responsible for the assault on Levine.
Officials differ on details
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and the military blamed “Israeli rioters” for the attack on the diplomats. Saar said the diplomats had entered a sensitive area with a history of confrontations without coordinating with the military.
Saar also said the facts surrounding the attack on Levine in Abu Falah were unclear. Levine said she was “shocked and insulted” by what Netanyahu said.
International concern over violence
Rising settler violence against Palestinians has drawn international criticism. The United Kingdom has described it as “ethnic cleansing” and imposed sanctions on products from illegal Israeli settlements.
Key points
- Israeli police say 10 suspects were arrested over weekend attacks in the occupied West Bank.
- The incidents included an assault on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine and attacks involving European diplomats.
- Levine underwent surgery on a nearly severed finger and needed stitches for lower-body wounds.
- The United Kingdom has condemned rising settler violence and sanctioned products from illegal Israeli settlements.