Israeli police arrest eight in inquiry into West Bank attacks on journalist and diplomats

Jerusalem, Israel. Police in Israel announced on Monday that eight suspects had been arrested in an inquiry into weekend violence in the West Bank, including separate assaults on a US photojournalist and European diplomats.

Suspects held for questioning

Police said the eight had been detained for questioning but provided neither their identities nor details of any accusations. They said their investigation remained under way.

Galatz, an Israeli radio station, reported that those arrested were Israeli nationals and that the domestic security agency Shin Bet was involved in the inquiry. Israeli settlers rarely face prosecution.

Separate attacks on Friday and Saturday

Footage recorded on Friday showed masked Israeli settlers attacking Heidi Levine, an American citizen and Washington Post photojournalist, while she reported on Palestinians harvesting olives in the West Bank.

A separate assault on Saturday targeted European diplomats and a French mayor elsewhere in the territory. Masked settlers carried out that attack.

The violence prompted condemnation from the United States, Israel’s closest ally, as well as France, Belgium and Poland. Diplomats from those three European countries were among those attacked on Saturday.

Differing responses from Israeli leaders

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Israel’s military attributed the assault on the diplomats to Israeli rioters. Netanyahu took a more guarded position, saying the diplomats had gone into an area with a record of confrontations without first coordinating with the military. He also said the circumstances surrounding the attack on Levine were unclear.

Netanyahu’s coalition is forecast to lose its parliamentary majority in the election scheduled for October 27.

Increase in settler violence

Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din said settler assaults against Palestinians were rising sharply, recording at least 170 attacks since September 27. Those targeted have also included journalists, Israeli activists and observers from abroad.