Israel arrests 10 suspects over settler attacks on American journalist and French mayor in West Bank
Israeli police arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank following a series of attacks on Western nationals, including American photojournalist Heidi Levine and the mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in France, who were travelling with European diplomats. The pre-dawn raids targeted suspects linked to violent incidents and illegal construction. Rights groups have highlighted that such prosecutions are rare when Palestinian victims are involved, despite a documented surge in settler violence against Palestinians since late September.
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Israeli police said they arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank and seized vehicles and evidence following a wave of settler attacks on Western nationals, including American photojournalist Heidi Levine and the mayor of the French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, who were travelling with a group of European diplomats. Major General Moshe Finchi, the police's West Bank commander, said the pre-dawn raids targeted suspects linked to violent incidents, breaches of military closed-zone orders and illegal construction.
The attacks drew international condemnation but exposed divisions within the Israeli government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tight re-election race, has cast doubt on the circumstances of the attacks on Westerners, drawing unusually sharp criticism from the opposition, which accused him of damaging Israel's international reputation. Rights groups, including the Israeli organisation Yesh Din, say settler violence against Palestinians has surged in recent weeks, with more than 26 incidents documented daily since late September, and note that such cases are rarely prosecuted when the victims are Palestinian rather than foreign nationals.
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