European governments have demanded action after a diplomatic delegation was attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, with a Belgian consular vehicle damaged and a visiting French mayor reporting that he was beaten.
The delegation had travelled to Taybeh, a largely Christian village near Ramallah, on Saturday to assess conditions during the olive harvest. Representatives from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church were among the visitors, according to the BBC’s account.
Israel’s military condemned what it called a severe act of violence and said an investigation was under way. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office urged caution about the full sequence and individual responsibility, arguing that the reports formed part of a campaign to smear Israel. Those differing official responses do not resolve the investigation’s unanswered questions.
Convoy confronted near olive farms
Video showed masked settlers confronting the convoy, while reports suggested stones were thrown. Belgian authorities said a consular vehicle’s window was smashed and a French mayor assaulted. Footage showed a man wearing a French tricolour sash slumped beside a vehicle.
The French official was identified as Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France. He told AFP that attackers kicked him, struck him with iron bars and threw him to the ground. His description is a first-person account of the assault, not a judicial finding identifying each person responsible.
Baudoux said the violence was gratuitous and that the people who would continue to suffer most were Palestinians living in the area after the visiting delegation returned home. The diplomats had come amid frequent reports of attacks on Palestinians bringing in the olive harvest.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said Israel had a responsibility to bring those responsible to justice and ensure the safety of diplomats, journalists and Palestinians. He said harvesting olives, reporting events and carrying out diplomatic work should not expose people to attack.
Calls for accountability
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called on Israeli authorities to halt criminal violence urgently and protect civilians. Poland’s foreign ministry demanded a firm response and an end to the spiral of violence in the West Bank. Belgium said it would continue pressing for European Union sanctions against those responsible.
The EU condemned the attacks, urged compliance with international and human rights law and called for an end to settlement expansion. A spokesperson acknowledged condemnations by some Israeli officials but said accountability and effective steps to prevent continued violence were still expected.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar strongly condemned violence by what he called Israeli rioters and said his ministry was in contact with the ambassadors involved. He also said the visit had not been coordinated with the military in advance, arguing that coordination could have helped protect the visitors.
The Israel Defense Forces said no soldiers were present at the scene at the time, according to a preliminary inquiry. That initial finding concerns military presence and should not be treated as a completed account of the attack or a determination of responsibility for protecting the convoy.
Investigation and disputed framing
Netanyahu’s office said images on social media did not establish the full sequence of events or individual responsibility. It said police and forensic investigators had begun inquiries to establish the facts and identify those responsible, while alleging sensational reporting during the annual harvest.
The convoy incident followed a separate attack in another West Bank village in which Palestinian farmers and Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine were injured. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called that earlier attack disturbing. US ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned it and demanded prosecution of the assailants.
Those two incidents are distinct: the European delegation’s confrontation should not be confused with the assault on Levine and the farmers. Both have increased diplomatic concern about violence during the harvest, but an investigation must establish the facts of each separately rather than assume identical participants or circumstances.
The immediate test for Israeli authorities is whether the investigation identifies those responsible and produces effective protection for people in the area. European governments are seeking accountability beyond statements of condemnation, while the military’s denunciation and the prime minister’s office’s caution illustrate the different positions within Israel’s official response.
