Netanyahu had also sought to throw doubt on the circumstances behind the beating Friday of the photographer, Heidi Levine, suggesting that Palestinians and “far-left” activists caused trouble.
But President Isaac Herzog, who holds a mostly ceremonial role, took the initiative Saturday to call Levine in the hospital, saying the attack was “outrageous and shocking” and weighed on his conscience.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said the beating was “a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards”, and demanded Israel prosecute and jail the assailants.
Israel Gantz, head of an umbrella settler group, blamed recent incidents on “groups of provocateurs and terrorists” but implicitly acknowledged some Israelis’ responsibility, saying that they harmed the settlers’ cause.
Settlers earlier this month also beat up AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh as he covered the olive harvest tensions, fracturing several of his ribs and stealing his camera.
Netanyahu’s government has ramped up approval of West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law.
Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, which Israel seized in 1967, alongside three million Palestinians.
