Israel announces 10 arrests after West Bank settler attacks on Westerners
Israeli police said on Monday that they had arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank after settler attacks on an American photographer and a French mayor that drew international condemnation but mixed messages from the government. In a rare action against rising settler violence, police said they raided several locations across the occupied territory and seized cars and potential evidence…
Israeli authorities announced the arrest of 10 individuals in the occupied West Bank following violent attacks by settlers on an American photographer and a French mayor. These incidents drew international condemnation but received mixed responses from the Israeli government. Major General Moshe Finchi of the Israeli police explained that the arrests came after raids on various locations to collect evidence related to the assaults.
The attacks included the beating of veteran photographer Heidi Levine, who was hospitalized with broken vertebrae, and the violent encounter with French Mayor Bernard Baudoux during a goodwill olive harvesting visit. The attacks occurred during the olive harvest season, a time when settlers have increasingly targeted Palestinians to seize their land.
Rights groups have noted Israel's reluctance to prosecute settlers when Palestinian victims are involved, with Yesh Din documenting 561 acts of settler or military violence against Palestinians since September 27 alone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a tight re-election bid, has tried to appeal to his pro-settlement base but has faced strong criticism from the opposition.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the beating of Levine as "an act of terror" and called the Monday arrests a "very positive development."
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