Palestinians observe Israeli settlers moving on a hilltop following an attack by settlers in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli settler attacks on a European diplomatic delegation and an American photojournalist in the occupied West Bank have drawn condemnation from the United States and European governments, with calls for those responsible to be prosecuted.
Israeli security forces arrested eight suspects on Oct. 19 in connection with weekend violence that included the assault on photographer Heidi Levine, The Jerusalem Post reported. The suspects were taken for questioning.
Masked settlers attacked a delegation of Belgian, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives in the Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh on Oct. 17.
The group had joined Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest.
Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, said he was struck with metal bars, kicked and thrown to the ground. A Belgian consular vehicle was also damaged.
The attack came a day after Levine, a freelance photojournalist working for The Washington Post, was beaten while covering the harvest in nearby Abu Falah.
She was wearing a protective vest identifying her as a journalist.
“They pushed me to the ground and they were kicking me for, I think at least 10 minutes,” she told the Committee to Protect Journalists.
She said her camera, phone and bag were stolen.
Levine later said she suffered four fractured vertebrae and a broken rib. She underwent surgery on her injured hand.
France, Belgium, Poland and the European Union condemned the attack on the delegation.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot urged Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians, diplomats and journalists and bring the attackers to justice.
“Impunity for violent settlers must end,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Israel to curb settler violence. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the assault on Levine a “despicable act of terror” and demanded the arrest and prosecution of those involved.
Israel’s military condemned the attack on the delegation but said the visit had not been coordinated with it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said violence against diplomats was unacceptable while questioning the reports, saying “serious accusations require serious evidence.”
Separately, hardline Israeli rabbi Dov Lior issued a religious ruling allowing Jews to take olives from Palestinian farmland, arguing that the land belonged to the Jewish people.
The rabbinical group Tzohar rejected the ruling, saying “theft is forbidden from anyone, Jew or non-Jew alike.”
