West Bankupdated 2h ago2 min read
Israeli Police Arrest Eight Suspects Over West Bank Settler Attacks On Heidi Levine, Diplomats
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Eight suspects arrested in West Bank settler attacks on US journalist and European diplomats. Attacks occurred weekend, leaving Levine injured and requiring surgery.
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Arrests after weekend attacks
Israeli police arrested eight suspects in connection with weekend attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians, European diplomats and Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine in the occupied West Bank. Police said the arrests were made under an operation dubbed “Olive Leaf”, launched at dawn in coordination with Israel's Shin Bet security agency and with an escort from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
Police said “So far, eight suspects have been arrested and several vehicles have been seized,” and the operation remained ongoing while IDF and Border Police forces conducted enforcement operations. Levine underwent surgery at Beilinson Hospital on Saturday after the assault in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, and The Jerusalem Post reported her condition as moderate with injuries to her limbs.
Condemnations and competing frames
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denounced the settler attack on Levine as “a despicable act of terror” and called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. Levine said she was “shocked and insulted” to hear that Netanyahu referred to the attack on her and others as “alleged”, and she said the prime minister “had all the evidence on the table”.
Bernard Baudoux, the mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, said, “I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government,” after he was assaulted and knocked to the ground during the diplomats' visit near Taybeh. Yesh Din attorney told Haaretz that “The army refuses to take responsibility for their security,” and Haaretz said Palestinians, activists, journalists and diplomats have no reliable way to alert Israeli forces to emergencies.
What happens next
Israeli police said IDF and Border Police forces were “conducting enforcement operations” to dismantle illegal settler outposts, address violations of military-issued restraining orders and investigate an “intrusion into a Palestinian home.” The Times of Israel said the police arrest operation, dubbed “Olive Leaf,” began at dawn in a joint effort with the Shin Bet security agency and with IDF escort, and it said the eight suspects were taken for questioning while the operation remained ongoing.
The Guardian said the attack on Levine was followed on Saturday by another outbreak of settler violence directed against European diplomats, a French mayor and the archbishop of the French city of Cambrai. Haaretz reported that a Yesh Din attorney said Palestinians, activists, journalists and diplomats have no reliable way to alert Israeli forces to emergencies, framing the dispute over security responsibility as a continuing risk for future incidents.