Israeli Settlers Attack European Diplomats Near Taybeh in West Bank

The attack on European diplomats in the occupied West Bank has drawn strong condemnation after Israeli settlers targeted a diplomatic delegation during the olive harvest near the Palestinian village of Taybeh on Saturday, beating a visiting French mayor and damaging a Belgian consulate vehicle.

FAKTA

• Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats as they toured the occupied West Bank on Saturday, a witness and two diplomats told AFP.
• The incident took place near Taybeh, a Palestinian Christian village near Ramallah, during the annual olive harvest season.
• The delegation included diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland; the French consul was among the delegation, Taybeh’s mayor told Al Jazeera.
• Seven masked men on quad bikes surrounded the diplomatic vehicles, demanded identification, threw stones and smashed the window of a Belgian consulate car, according to Israeli army radio.
• Footage shared by a diplomat appeared to show Bernard Baudoux, 78, the mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, slumped on the ground against a car after being beaten; his condition did not appear life-threatening.
• The Israeli military “strongly condemned” the attack and said it was collecting evidence for an investigation; Israel Police opened an assault investigation.
• Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot condemned the attack and called for EU sanctions against those responsible and those supporting them.

Attack on European Diplomats During Olive Harvest Visit

Israeli settlers on Saturday attacked a convoy of European diplomats as they toured the occupied West Bank, beating up a visiting French mayor, a witness and two diplomats told AFP. Footage shared by a diplomat appeared to show Bernard Baudoux, 78, the leftist mayor of the northern town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, slumped on the ground against a car. Two diplomats and a resident confirmed his identity, with one diplomat saying his condition did not appear life-threatening.

Military correspondent Doron Kadosh reported on X that the settlers attacked the vehicles of diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland. He said that, according to eyewitnesses, seven masked men surrounded a diplomatic vehicle with their off-road vehicles before demanding identification and smashing a window. Video footage showed a diplomat lying on the ground. The incident took place during the olive harvest near the village of Taybeh, the German Press Agency (DPA) reported.

Olives gathered during the harvest season in the West Bank — the delegation was visiting the harvest near Taybeh when the attack occurred.

Israel Condemns Attack, Opens Investigation

The Israeli Defense Forces “strongly condemned” the attack on X, adding that its soldiers had started to collect evidence for an investigation. The statement also said that “according to preliminary inquiry, no IDF soldiers were present at the scene at the time of the attack.” The military added that the diplomatic visit had not been coordinated with the IDF in advance.

Israel Police said the Binyamin station had opened an investigation into an assault following footage circulated online showing an attack on several diplomats in the area of the village of Taybeh. The police said they had forwarded a report to the Foreign Ministry in order to locate the victims, collect testimonies and identify the suspects so they could be brought to justice. Israeli police also confirmed they were investigating the alleged assault on European diplomats, AAP News reported.

Belgium Demands EU Sanctions

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot strongly condemned the attack, saying masked settlers in Taybeh had targeted Palestinians, Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives. He said a French mayor had been assaulted and a Belgian diplomatic vehicle damaged, but confirmed that Belgian personnel were safe.

Prévot said Palestinians faced such violence daily, adding that harvesting olives, reporting the news and conducting diplomatic work should never expose anyone to such attacks. He linked the violence to Israel’s settlement policies, which he described as illegal, and said Belgium would continue pressing for European Union sanctions against those responsible for the attacks and those supporting them.

A Wave of Harvest-Season Violence

The attack came a day after settlers beat Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine in the village of Abu Falah, a few kilometres away, during the olive harvest. The newspaper said Levine, despite wearing a protective vest clearly marked “PRESS”, was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked, suffering a broken rib, four broken vertebrae and injuries requiring surgery on her hand.

Villagers in Taybeh say the delegation had come to join the harvest, which has faced repeated settler assaults this season. Palestinian landowners who fled the scene also reported that settlers had stolen olives they had already harvested. Watan News International will continue to follow the investigation and its diplomatic fallout. For more coverage from the region, see our Middle East news section.