Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy carrying European diplomats in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, prompting condemnation from France, Belgium and Poland.
The incident happened near Taybeh, a predominantly Christian Palestinian village. A group of settlers, some carrying baseball bats, arrived to stop Palestinians from harvesting olives. The mob surrounded vehicles carrying the Belgian consul general, French and Polish diplomats, and representatives of the Catholic Church.
Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, said settlers kicked him and beat him with iron bars. Video from the scene shows a disheveled Baudoux sitting near a jeep in a sash in the colors of the French tricolor. “They arrived completely enraged. It’s absolutely incredible that settlers can behave like this,” he said, as quoted by AFP and Le Monde. The windows of a Belgian diplomatic vehicle were also smashed.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot wrote on X that, as the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice. “Impunity for violent settlers must end,” he said. He urged Israel to halt settlement expansion and “attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israeli authorities to arrest “those responsible for these outrageous acts and bring them to justice.” Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór condemned attacks on diplomats as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned violence by “Israeli rioters” and said an investigation had been launched. He added that the diplomats’ visit had not been coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces in advance. “Such coordination could have helped safeguard the visitors’ security,” he said.
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. The UN has warned that settlement expansion undermines prospects for establishing a Palestinian state. In July, the UN human rights office reported that settler attacks against Palestinians had reached an “all-time high” since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023.
The attack on the diplomatic convoy came a day after settlers beat and robbed Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah.
Source: rt-english.com
Polish diplomats West Bank · settler attack Taybeh · Maciej Wewiór condemnation · European diplomats convoy · olive harvest violence · Israeli settlers baseball bats