Israeli police arrested 10 people in the occupied West Bank before dawn on Monday following settler attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives, a Washington Post photojournalist and a delegation of European diplomats, though Israel's record of rarely prosecuting settlers raises questions over whether any will face charges.
The arrests followed days of violence that left photographer Heidi Levine seriously injured and a visiting French mayor beaten, drawing international condemnation as settlers targeted Palestinians during the annual olive harvest.
Despite repeated pledges by Israeli authorities to hold perpetrators accountable, prosecutions of settlers for violence against Palestinians remain exceptionally rare, with convictions even rarer.
Police said the suspects were detained on suspicion of involvement in violent incidents, violating a military order declaring a closed military zone, and illegal construction.
They did not identify those arrested or specify their individual roles in the attacks. Israel's Army Radio reported that the suspects were Israeli citizens.
"Following the severe incidents of violence over the past weekend, including the assault of a media worker and the suspected attacks on foreign civilians, an arrest operation was conducted before dawn," said Major General Moshe Finchi, the Israeli police commander in the occupied West Bank.
Police said they had seized vehicles and items linking suspects to alleged offences, although Israeli police have long been accused of enabling settler attacks on Palestinians.
The Shin Bet security agency, Israeli military and border police also participated in the investigation, according to the police account. Those arrested were transferred for questioning.
Pledges to prosecute amid entrenched impunity
Police said those arrested had been taken into custody "with the intent to bring anyone who perpetrated criminal activity to justice".
"The Israel Police condemns all forms of violence and will pursue these active investigations so that anyone involved in these incidents faces the judicial process, regardless of background," the force alleged.
But those pledges stand against a longstanding record of impunity for Israelis who attack Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank, casting doubt on whether the latest arrests will result in prosecutions.
Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din found that 93.6% of the police investigation files it monitored concerning ideologically motivated offences by Israelis against Palestinians between 2005 and 2025 were closed without an indictment. Just 3% of those cases led to full or partial convictions.
Yesh Din said the findings demonstrated a systematic failure to hold perpetrators accountable and protect Palestinians, arguing that settler violence helps expand Israeli control over Palestinian land by intimidating residents and driving them from their communities.
The latest arrests come amid an escalation in settler violence during the annual olive harvest, with Palestinians facing repeated attacks while attempting to access and cultivate their land.
Nearly 200 settler attacks linked to this year's olive harvest had caused casualties or property damage by mid-October, according to the UN humanitarian office, a figure that already surpasses the 185 incidents recorded throughout the entire 2025 season.