The IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and Israel Police arrested 10 suspects early Monday morning relating to the Jewish extremist attacks in the West Bank on Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine and EU diplomats over the weekend.
The operation, dubbed "Operation Olive Leaf," also included the confiscation of several vehicles and the clearing of some illegal construction.
Responding to the broader situation of the US and EU accusing Israel, and to some extent, specifically the IDF, of losing control of extremist settler violence in the West Bank, Defense Minister Israel Katz said he would transform the issue into being handled by the police.
Katz also continued his refusal to return to the use of administrative detention against violent Jewish extremists, despite clear recommendations from the IDF and also on and off from the Shin Bet to do so.
The questions dominating these parallel storylines now are whether the arrests of the 10 suspects will lead to serious and public charges being brought or are a passing show of force; whether this is a one-time crackdown because the victims were famous but the general situation will remain out of control, and whether Katz will succeed in altering the foundations of security in the West Bank despite practical and legal objections.
The suspects were transferred for questioning, and security forces are continuing to investigate the Jewish extremist-led violence of the weekend.
Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy said, “The law in Judea and Samaria applies to everyone, regardless of identity or affiliation. The Israel Police is committed to professional, equal, and impartial law enforcement, based on evidence and in accordance with the law."
He continued, saying, “At the same time, a distinction must be made between responsibility for preventing incidents in the field and responsibility for investigating and enforcing the law after they occur. We will continue to coordinate with all security agencies to strengthen security and the rule of law and ensure that anyone found to have violated the law is brought to justice."
This second part of Levy's statement seemed like a preemptive push against transferring too much responsibility from the IDF to the police.
Demands for investigation, arrests met
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday night called for the investigation, arrest, and prosecution "to the fullest extent of the law" of the participants in the attack on photojournalist Heidi Levine.
Following the wave of arrests, Huckabee took to X/Twitter to say, "A very positive development in finding and punishing those who severely attacked and beat Heidi Levine, an unarmed journalist with The Washington Post."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also slammed Israel for the incident and demanded retribution and justice against the attackers.
The Israel-based Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine was wounded during a Friday altercation between extremist settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.
Levine sustained injuries to her limbs, according to medical information provided. Speaking to Walla, she said she had also suffered injuries to her back and a rib, describing a prolonged assault during which her cameras and personal belongings were stolen.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the incident on Friday, saying that "those responsible will be brought to justice."
Additionally, masked settlers allegedly attacked European diplomats who were present during attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters near the village of Taybeh in the West Bank.
The Belgian Foreign Minister, Maxime Prevot, condemned the attack and added that the Belgian government will continue to push for sanctions against "those responsible for this violence and those who support them."
In a subsequent statement concerning the reported attack on diplomats in the West Bank, Israel Police said, "The Binyamin Police Station in the Judea and Samaria District has opened an investigation into an assault following footage circulated online showing an attack on several diplomats who were in the area of the village of Taybeh.
In August, The Jerusalem Post reported exclusively that Katz's announced proposal to transfer authority for handling extremist Jewish activists' problems from the IDF to the police was not coordinated with the relevant authorities and might yet be blocked.
For the last two months, nothing has been said about the proposal in public.
Katz did not clear the issue with a number of top relevant IDF authorities back in August, making the announcement to the extent that, until a meeting that week, many of them did not even understand what he was proposing.
While Katz, in August statements, tried to present the change as a done deal, the Post reported at the time that several issues could block his proposal from happening, limit its impact, or delay it for months.
For years, the legal and operational situation in the West Bank has been messy.
Under international law, no matter what Katz proposes, the IDF Central Command chief is the "sovereign" over the West Bank and can at most delegate some responsibilities, but would still bear ultimate responsibility on behalf of the State of Israel.
The reason is that Israel's position on the West Bank, unless it someday decides to annex it – something which still appears impossible due to opposition in Israel, from both US Republicans and Democrats, and globally – is that it holds a "belligerent occupation" of the area.
The legal term "belligerent occupation" has nothing to do with the politicized term "occupied" and merely refers to the fact that until the disputed territories' status is resolved by negotiation between the parties, Israel has certain legal responsibilities and rights as the "temporary" sovereign.
Despite the IDF having primary responsibility for security and maintaining public order, the Shin Bet and the police have also always played parallel roles in the West Bank.
Another major issue is the impracticality of the IDF racing into a battle between Palestinians and Jewish extremists and only dealing with the Palestinians, while ignoring the Jewish extremists.
On Monday, the Post learned that there is new support within the IDF for granting greater resources to the police and greater freedom for them to act in the West Bank in dealing with extremist Jews, without changing the balance of international law obligations.
Likewise, the Post understands that the IDF may try to work out a highly nuanced series of directives for how the IDF and the police can both operate simultaneously during certain complex incidents, with the military more focused on Palestinians and the police more on extremist Jews.
Despite objections by numerous current and former IDF commanders and legal officials, and possibly with some new support from some current IDF officials, Katz doubled down on his prior August position on Monday, saying, “the IDF has prepared a comprehensive plan to regulate civilian law enforcement activities” in the West Bank, which he says distinguishes between the IDF’s authority in the area and the “transfer of responsibility for actual civilian law enforcement to the police."
Katz even added that he agreed with Netanyahu about acting toward “implementing the plan as soon as possible, including holding discussions and coordinating between the IDF and the Israel Police, and allocating the necessary budget and personnel resources to the police."
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has not said a word publicly about the issue, and Katz gave no timeframe for when Netanyahu would approve the change in any final way.
Moreover, Katz stated, “The plan does not include recommendations to reinstate administrative detention orders against settlers in Judea and Samaria,” Katz claims, calling it a “draconian measure that I canceled upon taking office as defense minister and which I have no intention of reinstating."
Regarding administrative detention, the IDF and Shin Bet overwhelmingly objected to Katz suspending the use of the tool for extremist Jews in January 2025, and extremist violence has surged since then, especially during election season.
When David Zini took over the Shin Bet in October 2025, he was more lukewarm about using administrative detention against extremist Jews, but even he has recently pushed to return to using the practice, which the IDF has constantly pushed for.
Katz's statement on the issue appeared designed to respond to these recommendations.
Amir Bohbot, Hodaya Ran, and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.