Amid US pressure on settler violence, Israel arrests at least 10 suspected of West Bank attacks on journalist, diplomats

Jerusalem — Amid US pressure on a surge of settler violence in the occupied West Bank, Israeli police arrested at least 10 suspects in the weekend attacks on a Washington Post journalist and an entourage of European diplomats. Police said the operation to locate and arrest the suspects was called “Olive Leaf,” an apparent reference to the recent start of the olive harvest in the West Bank, which has seen a dramatic rise in settler attacks. On Friday, settlers attacked and hospitalized veteran Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine as she traveled with a group of Palestinians at the start of the olive harvest.

One day later, settlers attacked a group of European diplomats visiting the Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee welcomed the arrests as a “very positive development in finding & punishing those who severely attacked and beat Heidi Levine.” American freelance photojournalist Heidi Levine leaves the emergency room of the government hospital in the Israeli-occupied city of Ramallah, after being treated following an attack by Israeli settlers as she photographed Palestinian farmers harvesting their olives, in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah on October 16, 2026. “During this activity, 10 suspects were arrested, findings linking them to the incidents were sized and several vehicles were confiscated,” police said.

“We are working to collect evidence, findings and testimonies and to consolidate an evidentiary infrastructure that will enable bringing those involved to justice,” said Israel Police Superintendent Moshe Pinchi in a statement. Israeli human rights group Yesh Din documented more than 530 incidents of settler violence since the beginning of the olive harvest in late-September, averaging 27 violent incidents each day. According to Yesh Din, Israeli soldiers were present at roughly one quarter of the attacks over this period.

Palestinians harvest their olive trees in the Israeli-occupied West Bank village of Deir Abu Mashal on October 19, 2026. Israeli police say they have arrested 10 suspects in the occupied West Bank after attacks by settlers on an American journalist and European diplomats last week. The unnamed suspects were detained at several locations on suspicion of acts of violence, violating a closed military zone order and illegal construction, according to a statement.

Potential evidence and vehicles were also seized. On Friday, masked Israeli settlers beat and severely injured Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine as she covered an olive harvest in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah. A day later, diplomats from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church were attacked by masked settlers in nearby Taybeh.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, welcomed the arrests. “A very positive development in finding & punishing those who severely attacked and beat Heidi Levine,” he wrote on X. Settler violence in the West Bank is at an all-time high, according to UN records.