Diplomats attacked in West Bank

Masked Israeli settlers attacked a delegation of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank village of Taybeh near Ramallah on Saturday.

Who was in the delegation

The European diplomats came from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church. They were assessing the situation after nearly daily settler attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives.

What happened during the attack

Video footage showed masked settlers confronting the convoy. Reports suggest stones were thrown. A Belgian consulate car had its window smashed and a French mayor was assaulted.

The injured French official speaks

Bernard Baudoux, the left-wing mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, said settlers kicked him and beat him with iron bars. He said the violence was gratuitous and shocking.

“It's the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me. They arrived completely enraged.”

Belgium demands justice

Belgium's foreign minister Maxime Prevot condemned the attack and said Israel must bring those responsible to justice. He called for EU sanctions against those responsible and those who support them.

“Impunity for violent settlers must end.”

Israel's divided response

The IDF condemned the violence and said they were investigating. But Netanyahu's office cast doubt on reports, saying social media images do not establish the complete sequence of events.

Netanyahu's office frames it differently

Netanyahu's office said the reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel during the annual olive harvest, relying on sensational headlines before facts emerge.

“these reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest”