Israel arrests 10 settlers over weekend attacks on a US photojournalist, European diplomats and Palestinians in the West Bank

Summary

Israeli police detained 10 settlers in a rare raid after a weekend of violence in the occupied West Bank, according to the Guardian. The suspects were taken for questioning in a joint operation by police, the military and the Shin Bet, and Israeli forces confiscated settlers' vehicles and removed settlers who had invaded a Palestinian village. The detentions followed two coordinated attacks against a US photojournalist, European diplomats and Palestinians. On Friday in Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah, dozens of settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives. Washington Post veteran photojournalist Heidi Levine, 64, was knocked to the ground, beaten with sticks and kicked by masked settlers, and needs surgery, according to the Washington Post. The Guardian reports she described the attack as an 'attempted lynching' and says the attackers broke four vertebrae. The arrests came amid mounting international pressure, with the European Council and the US condemning settler attacks involving their citizens. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to both incidents as 'alleged' attacks despite visual evidence.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   19 Oct 2026, 12:46 UTCSource ↗

   Reports, citing Haaretz, that Israeli police arrested 10 settlers suspected of involvement in two coordinated weekend attacks on a US photojournalist, European diplomats and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

2. The Guardian

   19 Oct 2026, 18:05 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Israeli police detained 10 people in a rare raid against settlers after a weekend of extreme violence in the occupied West Bank, including an attack on US photojournalist Heidi Levine that she described as an 'attempted lynching'.