Israel investigates attack on European diplomats in West Bank

Israeli police are investigating an attack on a delegation of European diplomats near the occupied West Bank village of Taybeh, after footage showed masked men confronting their convoy. Israel’s military condemned what it called a “severe act of violence” by Israeli rioters, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office urged caution before drawing conclusions about who was responsible.

The delegation included representatives from Belgium, France and Poland, as well as Catholic representatives. They had traveled to Taybeh, a largely Christian village near Ramallah, to assess the situation after repeated attacks on Palestinians trying to bring in their olive harvest, the BBC reported.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Belgium’s consul general was among those targeted. A Belgian consular vehicle was damaged, and a French mayor was assaulted, he said, adding that his team was safe. The BBC reported that a window of the Belgian car was smashed and that reports indicated stones were thrown.

The mayor, Bernard Baudoux of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, told Agence France-Presse that attackers kicked him, beat him with iron bars and threw him to the ground. He said he had not suffered serious injuries.

“It’s the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me,” Baudoux said. “They arrived completely enraged.” He added: “The whole world needs to know what’s happening there. For me, I’ll go back to my country and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here.”

Poland’s foreign ministry said its representatives were unharmed and that, based on the information available, there was “no indication that they were specifically targeted.” It said Israeli settlers may have been responsible, condemned the incident and said it was working with partners to establish what happened.

Israeli police said they were trying to locate the victims and identify suspects after footage of the incident circulated online. The military said a preliminary inquiry found no soldiers were present. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned the violence and said his ministry was in contact with the countries’ ambassadors.

Netanyahu’s office said any violence against diplomats was unacceptable but argued that the images did not establish the full sequence of events or individual responsibility. It said the delegation had entered a sensitive area without coordinating its visit with the military. The office also said the reports came amid concerns about a “coordinated campaign to smear Israel” during the olive harvest.

Prevot called on Israel to protect Palestinians, journalists and diplomats and bring those responsible to justice. “Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” he said. He said Belgium would continue to press for European Union sanctions against those responsible for settler violence and those who support them.

The incident followed a separate attack Friday in which several people were seriously injured, including American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was working with The Washington Post. CBS News reported that her daughter said Levine had a nearly severed finger, a broken rib, multiple broken vertebrae and lacerations. Israeli police and the military said they were investigating that incident as well.