A European delegation that included representatives from Poland, Belgium and France was attacked on Saturday afternoon in Taybeh, a Christian village in the Binyamin region of the West Bank. Residents had invited diplomats and peace activists to the olive harvest. A diplomat told ynet that the group got into their cars after hearing that settlers were approaching, then saw masked men carrying sticks and metal crowbars running toward them.
The diplomat said seven adult men, ages 20 and older, who appeared to have come from farther away rather than a nearby outpost, kicked French mayor Bernard Baudoux of Aulnoye-Aymeries and injured him. After beating him they shouted “Viva la France.” The diplomat said they had recognized the French flag and also attacked the Belgian vehicle. The attack itself was not filmed. Baudoux was later filmed lying on the ground, and a Belgian Consulate vehicle was photographed with a smashed window. Security forces did not arrive in time, and the suspects fled without arrest.
Delegation members called the claim that the visit required prior military coordination misleading. They said Taybeh is in Area B, diplomats visit often, and the military has neither escorted them nor required coordination. They described the incident as an attack with clubs and said they were convinced it was an organized operation meant to send a message to Europeans. The group arrived a day after photojournalist Heidi Levine was moderately injured and underwent surgery in Israel.
Poland’s Foreign Ministry expressed outrage, as did several other European countries whose representatives had not been in the delegation. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Belgium will continue to push for European Union sanctions against those responsible for the violence and those who support them. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Israeli authorities must arrest those responsible, bring them to justice and ensure the safety of civilians.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the delegation entered a sensitive area with a history of confrontations without prior coordination with the IDF, which it said the military officially confirmed. It said images of masked individuals, a smashed window and a person on the ground do not establish the full sequence or individual responsibility, and that police and forensic investigators have opened an inquiry. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and the IDF said Israeli rioters were responsible. Ofer Winter’s Amcha Yisrael party condemned what it called violence by a handful of extremists.