Diplomatic Fractures in Jerusalem: Settler Violence Forces Washington's Hand

When an American diplomat long aligned with Israel’s political right uses terms like despicable act of terror, the political arithmetic in Jerusalem changes rapidly. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee issued an uncharacteristically sharp condemnation after masked settlers in the occupied West Bank attacked 63-year-old Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, beating her with clubs, breaking her ribs, and stealing her equipment during the annual olive harvest.

The assault on a clearly identifiable American journalist forced Washington to demand a full investigation and prosecution. In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adopted an evasive posture, referring to the ten-minute beating as merely alleged while Levine underwent hand surgery in a hospital near Tel Aviv. With crucial national elections scheduled for October 27, Netanyahu appears determined to avoid alienating his pro-settlement base. His political rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, observed that government-backed violence is eroding the state's legitimacy.

The figures surrounding West Bank law enforcement explain why such incidents persist. Data from the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din indicates that approximately 94 percent of investigations into settler violence since 2005 ended without an indictment, with a mere 3 percent resulting in convictions. This persistent lack of accountability was demonstrated once again when another group of masked men targeted European diplomats and French Mayor Bernard Baudoux in the town of Taybeh, knocking the mayor to the ground despite his official sash and diplomatic vehicle.

In response, the diplomatic machinery in Brussels issued its standard condemnatory statements. European Union officials urged full accountability, while European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera posted online that attackers intended to leave no witnesses. As is so often the case, the European foreign policy apparatus produces righteous rhetoric that masks its total lack of actual influence on the ground. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot similarly demanded an urgent halt to criminal acts.

Inside Israel, the divide between symbolic leadership and executive action remains stark. President Isaac Herzog telephoned Levine to convey his outrage, while former security chiefs issued a letter of collective shame over the attack. Levine, who has covered the region for forty years, remarked that the country had reached an unprecedented state.

Donald Trump offered Netanyahu a warm endorsement for his re-election campaign, praising his leadership against Iran. Yet as violence surges around the olive harvest, the rift between Washington's diplomatic demands and Jerusalem's domestic political maneuvering grows increasingly difficult to obscure.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com