European diplomats have reported being assaulted by Israeli settlers during a visit to the occupied West Bank, prompting an Israeli police investigation and condemnation from the country’s military.
Footage circulating online appears to show masked people confronting vehicles near Taybeh on Saturday. Israeli police said they were working to locate those involved and identify the alleged attackers.
“The Israel Police condemns violence of any kind and will pursue these investigations to their full extent,” the force said, adding that those responsible should be brought to justice.
Israel’s military described the incident as a “severe act of violence” in which diplomatic representatives were “attacked by Israeli rioters”. It said the visit had not been coordinated with the military and that no soldiers were present at the scene.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that representatives from France, Belgium and Poland were among the delegation.
Diplomats describe violence in Taybeh
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said settlers had targeted Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives. He said a French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged, but that the Belgian team was safe.
Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, said he was attacked during a goodwill visit to Taybeh. He said he was kicked, struck with iron bars and thrown to the ground, although he did not suffer serious injuries.
“It’s the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me,” Mr Baudoux said. “They arrived completely enraged.”
Mr Prevot linked the incident to what he called Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and urged Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians as the “occupying power”.
“Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” he said.
Poland’s foreign ministry said its representatives were unharmed and that there was no indication they had been specifically targeted. It said preliminary information suggested Israeli settlers “may have been responsible”.
The ministry said it was “deeply outraged” and condemned the incident, adding that attacks on diplomatic personnel were “absolutely unacceptable”.
Netanyahu office urges caution over allegations
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned violence against diplomats but urged caution before conclusions were drawn. It said the delegation had entered “a sensitive area with a history of confrontations” without prior co-ordination with the Israeli military.
“Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable,” the statement said. “The more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence.”
The prime minister’s office said the footage showed masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle but did not establish the full sequence of events or individual responsibility.
It also alleged that the reports formed part of a “coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria” during the olive harvest, arguing that sensational claims were being made before the facts were established.
The office highlighted Mr Baudoux’s previous decision to raise the Palestinian flag over his town hall, saying French authorities had ordered its removal.
The European Union condemned the reported attacks and called for “full accountability”, as well as effective measures to prevent further violence and harassment against Palestinians and journalists during the olive harvest.
It urged Israel to comply fully with international humanitarian and human rights law and to halt the expansion of settlements.
West Bank settler violence under investigation
The incident came a day after several people were seriously injured in a separate attack, including American freelance photojournalist Heidi Levine.
Ms Levine was undergoing surgery on a finger that was nearly severed, her daughter said. She also suffered a broken rib, multiple fractured vertebrae and lacerations.
US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for a full investigation and the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved. Israeli police and the military said they had opened inquiries into Friday’s incident.
Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased in recent years, according to figures from the United Nations humanitarian office. Activists say authorities have done little to stop it, particularly during this year’s olive harvest.
Mr Netanyahu has previously condemned settler violence and promised a crackdown on what he described as a small group of several hundred wayward youths. Human rights groups and critics accuse the government of complicity and say perpetrators are rarely prosecuted.
