On October 16, 2026, masked Israeli settlers severely beat American photojournalist Heidi Levine, 63, in the West Bank, followed a day later by an attack on European diplomats and others in Taybeh, injuring three people and damaging a vehicle. These incidents have drawn strong condemnation from U.S. officials, contrasting sharply with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, which dismissed the reports as a "smear campaign".

The incidents highlight escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and international personnel in the West Bank, raising concerns about the safety of civilians and journalists, and prompting a diplomatic rift between the U.S. and Israeli leadership over accountability.

What the records show

The next day, Saturday, October 17, Israeli settler militants attacked a delegation of European diplomats, a French mayor, and the Archbishop of Cambrai in Taybeh, West Bank. This attack, part of an effort to stop Palestinians from harvesting olives, injured three people and damaged a consular vehicle. The European Union demanded accountability following this attack. Belgian officials also reported attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

The timeline

What changed and for whom

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office dismissed accounts of the attacks as a "smear campaign" against settlers and Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. The Prime Minister's office claimed these reports were part of a "coordinated campaign" relying on "sensational headlines before the full facts emerge".

What we could not confirm