Israel detains 10 suspects after attacks on European diplomats, US journalist

Israeli police said on Monday they had arrested 10 suspects in connection with weekend violence in the occupied West Bank, including an incident involving Polish, French and Belgian diplomats and a separate attack on a US photojournalist. 

Photo:

Israel Police, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Police said the suspects were detained for questioning on suspicion of taking part in violent acts, violating a closed military zone order and illegal construction, the Reuters news agency reported.

Police did not identify them. Israel’s Army Radio reported they were Israeli citizens, according to Reuters.

A convoy carrying members of the diplomatic corps, including Polish diplomats, was attacked in the West Bank. According to preliminary information, Israeli settlers may have been responsible for the incident. The Polish diplomats were unharmed. Based on the information currently available to us, there is no indication that they were specifically targeted. We are deeply outraged by this incident and condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Poland has consistently opposed violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Attacks against members of the diplomatic corps are absolutely unacceptable. We remain in close contact with our partners to establish the full circumstances of the incident. We expect the Israeli authorities to provide urgent and detailed explanations, identify those responsible and ensure that they are held accountable. We also expect effective measures to be taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) October 17, 2026

The arrests followed two separate incidents: the assault of US photojournalist Heidi Levine on Friday and an attack on Polish, French and Belgian diplomats as well as a French mayor on Saturday.

The United States, Poland, France and Belgium had called on Israel to take action.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland condemns the attack carried out by masked settlers in Taybeh in the West Bank. The assault that took place during a solidarity visit to a village known for the centuries-old Christian presence there is yet another evidence of settler violence faced by the Palestinian population in the West Bank on a daily basis. The attack should be met with a firm response from the Israeli authorities. We sympathise with the statements made by the Foreign Ministers of France and Belgium. We call for putting an end to the spiral of violence in the West Bank and for acting in the spirit of respect for international law.

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) October 18, 2026

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and the military have blamed "Israeli rioters" for the attack on the diplomats, during which a Belgian diplomatic ⁠vehicle was also
damaged.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the diplomats entered a "sensitive area with a history of confrontations" and without coordinating with the military.

He also said the facts ​of the attack on Levine were "unclear," Reuters reported.

Israel's Palestinian leaders are urging people in the minority Arab community to vote in big numbers in next week's election as they seek to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and topple the most right-wing government in the country's history https://t.co/xzogITUv2K

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 19, 2026

Levine, a Washington Post photojournalist, was covering a Palestinian olive harvest when she was attacked, it said.

Palestinian families harvest olives in Abu Falah, West Bank, Oct. 16, 2026. Photo: EPA/ATEF SAFADI

She was taken to hospital and underwent surgery on a finger.

Masked settlers were filmed assaulting her. She said her attackers wore ritual tassels known as tzitzit, according to Reuters.

Israeli police said they had arrested eight suspects as part of an investigation into violent incidents in the West Bank over the weekend, including attacks on an American photojournalist and European diplomats in separate incidents https://t.co/1Vf0CoyCHu

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 19, 2026

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, welcomed "a very positive development in finding and punishing those who severely attacked and beat" Levine. 

A very positive development in finding & punishing those who severely attacked and beat Heidi Levine an unarmed journalist with @wapo

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 19, 2026

Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologised for the attack on Levine, saying the violent rioters did not represent Israel's values.

Ten people were arrested on Monday in the West Bank in connection with the beating of a Washington Post photographer and an alleged assault on European diplomats, Israeli authorities said. https://t.co/yaX6vEU400

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 19, 2026

(sp/gs) 

Source: Reuters