Updated

A wave of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers and visiting European diplomats during the olive harvest, including an assault on a delegation and Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine in the West Bank village of Taybeh near Ramallah over the weekend, triggered widespread condemnation. The European Union repeatedly demanded “full accountability,” US diplomats visited the affected Christian village, and the Washington Post's CEO called for a transparent investigation; two days after the Levine assault no arrests had been announced. Israeli military officials said they dismantled illegal outposts and criticized courts for lenient sentencing, while 61 economists warned settler violence and settlement expansion carry a high economic cost for Israel. Netanyahu dismissed “sensational headlines” about the attacks despite video evidence, and Rabbis for Human Rights filed a police complaint over a rabbi's ruling seen as encouraging olive theft; Haaretz commentary argued IDF Chief of Staff Zamir bears responsibility for failing to curb what it called Jewish terrorism.