The key facts

  • 10 suspects detained over attacks on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine and European diplomats
  • Levine suffered fractured vertebrae while covering the olive harvest; the next day a convoy of diplomats and French mayor Bernard Baudouin was attacked
  • According to Yesh Din, at least 170 settler attacks have been recorded since September 27; only about 3% of investigations from 2005–2023 ended in convictions

Detentions After Weekend Incidents

Israeli police on Monday reported the detention of 10 suspects in connection with settler violence in the occupied West Bank, including attacks on an American photojournalist and European diplomats. The police commander in the West Bank, Major General Moshe Pinchi, said the detention operation was carried out 'before dawn' following 'serious incidents of violence over the past weekend, including an attack on a media worker and suspected attacks on foreign civilians.' According to Israeli media, the internal security service Shin Bet has joined the investigation; police said the investigation is ongoing.

Attacks on the Journalist and Diplomats

On Friday, masked settlers, as footage shows, attacked The Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, who was covering Palestinians harvesting olives; she suffered fractured vertebrae. The next day, settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats and French mayor Bernard Baudouin, who had arrived in the West Bank to help with the harvest. The incidents were condemned by the US, France, Belgium and Poland.

Reaction of the Israeli Authorities

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and the Israeli army blamed 'Israeli pogromists' for the attack on the diplomats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said the diplomats had entered 'a sensitive area with a history of confrontations without prior coordination' with the military, and that the circumstances of the attack on Levine were, in his words, 'unclear.' The incidents occurred ahead of the October 27 elections, which are important for Netanyahu.

Prospects for Prosecution

According to the Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din, at least 170 settler attacks on Palestinians have been recorded since September 27. DW correspondent in Jerusalem Tanya Kramer noted that Palestinians, journalists and international observers have little faith that the detentions will lead to charges. According to a Yesh Din study, only about 3% of police investigations of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank in 2005–2023 ended in full or partial convictions, and more than 80% of cases were closed because police failed to identify suspects or gather sufficient evidence.