Jerusalem —
Israeli police arrested at least 10 suspects over the weekend in attacks on a Washington Post reporter and an aide of a European diplomat, as the United States puts pressure on a surge in settler violence in the occupied West Bank.
Police said the operation to locate and arrest the suspects is called “Olive Leaf,” an apparent reference to the recent start of the olive harvest in the West Bank, where settler attacks have increased dramatically.
On Friday, Heidi Levin, a veteran Washington Post photojournalist who was traveling with a group of Palestinians during the olive harvest, was attacked by settlers and hospitalized. The next day, settlers attacked a group of European diplomats visiting the Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee welcomed the arrests as “a very positive development in finding and punishing those who violently attacked and beat Heidi Levine.”
Police said security forces, in cooperation with the Israeli military, searched and arrested suspects throughout the area where the attacks took place. “During this operation, 10 suspects were arrested, their and findings related to the incident were scrutinized and several vehicles were seized,” police said.
“We are working to strengthen the evidentiary infrastructure that will allow us to collect evidence, findings and testimonies and bring those involved to justice,” Israeli Police Superintendent Moshe Pinki said in a statement.
Israeli human rights group Yesh Din said it had recorded more than 530 incidents of settler violence since the olive harvest began in late September, an average of more than 27 incidents per day. According to Yesh Din, Israeli soldiers took part in about a quarter of the attacks during this period.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the Trump administration has told Israel that the United States “doesn’t want another flashpoint” in the West Bank and called on Israel to take action against settler violence.
“We have asked and continue to ask the Israelis to crack down on those things,” Rubio said before departing for India and Uzbekistan. “The president has been very clear. He’s said this repeatedly. He doesn’t want friction or anything, a crisis happening in the West Bank.”
Despite the footage of the attack on both Levines, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to cast doubt on the violence, saying afterwards that “serious questions remain.” Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly downplayed the severity and scale of the settler violence, attributing it to gangs, in an apparent attempt to avoid upsetting right-wing voters in the looming Israeli elections.
Meanwhile, Israel’s defense minister said on Monday that he would not reinstate administrative detention of Jewish Israelis, which allows authorities to hold suspects without charge or trial. This draconian measure was one of Israel’s most effective tools against settler extremism, but nearly two years ago, the defense minister halted its use against Jewish Israelis in one of his first decisions.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him “strong, brave and great” ahead of the Oct. 27 election. For weeks, President Trump has dodged questions about whether Netanyahu should be re-elected. Just a few days before that, he had said, “I don’t trust anyone in politics.”
