Polish diplomats at scene of alleged settler attack near Taybeh

About seven masked settlers allegedly attacked Palestinian olive harvesters near the West Bank village of Taybeh on Saturday, in an incident that also involved European diplomats, according to an Army Radio report.

French diplomats, including the French consul in Jerusalem, were at the scene, along with Belgian and Polish diplomats, the report said. According to Army Radio, the settlers smashed a window of a Belgian consulate vehicle. Police said an investigation had been opened and that details had been sent to the Foreign Ministry.

A woman who witnessed the events wrote that she and another Israeli activist arrived at the scene. "The settlers blocked us, surrounded the vehicle and demanded to see our identity cards. We updated the army in real time, but they neither arrived nor responded," she wrote.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions around the Palestinian olive harvest in the West Bank. The IDF completed preparations for the harvest earlier in October amid concerns over nationalist violence and clashes between Palestinians and settlers.

In a later statement on the reported attack, Israel Police said the Binyamin Police Station in the Judea and Samaria District had opened an investigation into an assault after footage circulated online showing an attack on several diplomats who were in the area of Taybeh. Police said that after receiving the footage they opened an investigation and forwarded a report to the Foreign Ministry in order to locate the victims, collect testimonies and identify the suspects so they can be brought to justice. The force said it condemns violence of any kind and will pursue the investigations until those involved are brought to justice.

Amid the increase in violence, the IDF is expected to reinforce its West Bank division with additional combat troops, according to a separate report published on Saturday. The Taybeh incident also followed the wounding on Friday of Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine during an olive harvest. Beilinson Hospital said Levine was in moderate condition with injuries to her limbs and had undergone surgery in the preceding hours.