A delegation of European diplomats from Belgium, France, Poland, and the Catholic Church was attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The incident occurred in the village of Taybeh near Ramallah, where the envoys had traveled to assess conditions on the ground following a pattern of settler assaults on Palestinians during the olive harvest season. Video footage from the scene showed masked settlers confronting the diplomatic convoy, with reports indicating that stones were thrown. Belgian authorities reported that a vehicle from its consulate sustained window damage, and a French official was physically assaulted.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot issued a statement condemning the violence and emphasized that Israel, as the occupying power, bears responsibility for protecting both Palestinians and international representatives. He called for European Union sanctions against those responsible for the violence and those who support them. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned what he characterized as violence by Israeli rioters and indicated that the foreign ministry was communicating with the involved countries’ ambassadors. However, Sa’ar noted that the visit had not been coordinated with the Israeli Defense Forces in advance, suggesting that such coordination might have prevented security issues.
The Israel Defense Forces stated they strongly condemned the incident and noted that no military personnel were present at the time of the attack. An investigation was launched by Israeli police and forensic investigators. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office expressed caution about the reports, questioning whether social media images established a complete sequence of events or identified individual responsibility. Netanyahu’s office suggested the reports were part of a broader campaign to damage Israel’s reputation during the olive harvest period.
The attack followed a separate incident earlier in the week in which Palestinians and a Washington Post photographer were injured in an assault by settlers in another West Bank village. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee both commented on the photographer’s assault, with Huckabee calling it a despicable act and demanding prosecution of those responsible.
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