In brief
European envoys from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church were attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the town of Taybeh near Ramallah on Saturday. The assault included stone‑throwing, smashed car windows and injuries to a French official. Belgian and French officials condemned the attack, calling for justice, while Israel’s defence force and government have yet to confirm details of the incident. International actors such as the United Nations, the European Union and the United States have also condemned the violence and demanded a thorough investigation.
European envoys were attacked by masked settlers in the West Bank town of Taybeh on Saturday, according to reports from the delegation and local witnesses.
The visit was organised to assess the growing conflict over the olive harvest, a period when Palestinians regularly face hostile attacks from Israeli settler groups. A vehicle belonging to the Belgian consular office had a window smashed, and stones were thrown at the convoy. A French official, identified as Bernard Baudoux, was injured when a settler kicked him and struck him with an iron bar.
Belgium’s foreign minister, Maxime Prevot, and France’s foreign minister, Jean‑Noël Barrot, condemned the assault as an attack on diplomatic corps and journalists. They called on Israel to bring those responsible to justice and to ensure the safety of international representatives and civilians. The Israel Defence Forces issued a statement condemning the act as severe violence, while the Israeli prime minister’s office questioned the sequences shown on social media and urged caution before drawing conclusions.
The incident follows a recent attack in another West Bank village that injured Palestinian workers and a Washington Post photographer. United States officials, including Secretary Marco Rubio and ambassador Mike Huckabee, described the violence as disturbing and demanded accountability.
International bodies echoed the condemnation. The European Union demanded Israel respect human rights law and stop settlement expansion. Poland’s foreign ministry called for a firm response to halt the violence. Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, strongly denounced the attackers and noted that coordination with the defence forces might have prevented the incident.
Israeli police and forensic investigators have opened an inquiry into the assault. Israeli officials caution that social media footage does not present the full picture and that investigations are ongoing, with the aim of identifying those accountable for the violent act.
