Nine of the ten suspects arrested in connection with the settler attacks on Haidi Levin, an American journalist, and European diplomats, have been released and placed under house arrest. This action came in response to requests from the United States and European countries to address settler violence and necessary actions following the attack on Levin.
Details of the Attacks and Reactions
Haidi Levin was covering the Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank when she was attacked. Additionally, on Saturday, a group of French, Belgian, and Polish diplomats, along with a French mayor, were also attacked in another area of the West Bank. These attacks occurred amid heightened security tensions in the region.
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Legal Developments and Review of Suspects' Status
The right-wing legal office Honenu announced that the Jerusalem court has ordered the release of nine suspects out of the ten arrested. The Israeli police also stated that only one suspect remains in custody, and investigations into these violent incidents are ongoing. According to some Israeli human rights groups, such arrests are rare, and most settler attacks in the West Bank go unpunished.
Yonatan Kanovich, head of research at the human rights group Yesh Din, stated that in most cases of attacks against Palestinians, no arrests are made, and in cases covered by the media, the police have arrested a few settlers, most of whom are quickly released.
With the start of the olive harvest season, settler violence has increased, and reports indicate that in the past 24 days, there have been 125 physical attacks against Palestinians. These attacks include stone-throwing, beatings, and sometimes gunfire directed at Palestinians. Haidi Levin was transferred to the hospital after the attack and underwent surgery.
According to official statistics, since the beginning of this year, Israeli settlers have killed at least 30 Palestinians. This occurs while Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, oversees the rapid expansion of settlements. United Nations bodies and most countries around the world consider Israeli settlements in the occupied territories illegal under international law, while Israel regards these territories as disputed rather than occupied.
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