Nine out of ten suspects detained in connection with recent assaults on a US journalist and European diplomats in the occupied West Bank have been released from custody and placed under house arrest, according to a legal firm representing settlers.
The individuals were arrested following incidents last week where masked Israeli settlers reportedly attacked Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine during a Palestinian olive harvest. In a separate event on Saturday, masked settlers also assaulted French, Belgian, and Polish diplomats, along with a French mayor, in another area of the West Bank.
These detentions occurred after the United States, Israel's principal ally, called for a crackdown on settler violence and urged that arrests be made following the attack on Ms. Levine. France, Belgium, and Poland also pressed Israel, which is approaching a parliamentary election, to take action.
A Jerusalem court ordered the release of nine suspects to house arrest, while Israeli police confirmed that only one individual remains in custody. The police stated that the investigation into the violent incidents is ongoing. Rights organizations in Israel have noted that arrests in such cases are infrequent, with many militant settler attacks in the West Bank reportedly occurring without consequence.
These attacks coincide with an escalating wave of settler violence targeting the Palestinian olive harvest season. Reports indicate numerous physical assaults on Palestinian olive harvesters, including stone-throwing, physical altercations, and shootings. Ms. Levine required hospital treatment and surgery following her assault.
Data from the Palestinian Authority suggests that at least 30 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers since the beginning of the year. The period has also seen a significant expansion of settlements under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration. International bodies and most countries consider Israeli settlements on land occupied during wartime to be illegal under international law, a classification Israel disputes.
