Israeli police say they have opened an investigation into an alleged assault on diplomats in the occupied West Bank. Their statement cites footage circulating online that appears to show several diplomats being attacked in the village of Taybeh.
Public broadcaster Kan reported that the diplomats included representatives from France, Belgium and Poland. In a separate statement, Israel’s military said the visit had not been coordinated with it and that no soldiers were at the scene.
Police said they had contacted Israel’s Foreign Ministry to help locate those who were attacked. “The Israel Police condemns violence of any kind and will work to complete these investigations until everyone who took part in these cases is brought to justice,” the police statement said.
The inquiry follows a surge in violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians during the annual olive harvest. Activists say authorities do little to stop it. An attack on Friday in the village of Abu Falah seriously injured several people, including Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine.
Ashley Milner, Levine’s daughter, told The Associated Press that Levine was undergoing surgery on a finger that was nearly detached from her hand. Milner said Levine also has a broken rib, multiple broken vertebrae and lacerations.
Levine said the perpetrators, armed with bottles and slingshots, “were kicking me for like 10 minutes and I was trying to hold onto my cameras and my bag.” She said her helmet and a protective vest marked “PRESS” likely saved her from more serious injuries.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that he was “very disturbed” by footage of the attack on Levine. “We’re very disturbed by those images and what we’re seeing,” he said, adding that the Trump administration has asked the Israeli government to “crack down on that stuff.”
A separate scene from Abu Falah on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, showed Israeli soldiers standing beside a wounded Palestinian man lying on a road after soldiers shot him following a settler attack on Palestinians harvesting olives.