Israeli settlers attack EU diplomats and French mayor in West Bank, Belgium says
Belgian foreign minister says consul general and other European officials were among those targeted during a visit to assess olive harvest attacks.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians, European diplomats and a French mayor in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Belgium's foreign minister. The diplomats, from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church, were in the largely Christian village of Taybeh near Ramallah to assess attacks on Palestinians trying to bring in the olive harvest.
Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot said Belgium's consul general to the Palestinians, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives were among those attacked. A Belgian vehicle was damaged. Three people were injured, according to the Guardian.
Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, was wearing his tricolour sash of office and trying to get into a vehicle with diplomatic plates when he was assaulted and knocked to the ground, the Guardian reported. His wife and Vincent Dollmann, archbishop of Cambrai, were also threatened by a group of seven men, some armed with clubs. The attackers smashed the window of an armoured car belonging to the Belgian mission.
Prevot said Israel, as the occupying power, must protect Palestinians and ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and demanded an end to impunity for violent settlers. Belgium, which has announced a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, will press for European Union sanctions against those responsible for the violence and those who support them.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators "Israeli rioters", and said the foreign ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the countries involved. Saar also suggested the diplomats' visit should have been coordinated with the Israeli military in advance.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast doubt on what happened and suggested it was part of a "coordinated campaign to smear Israel", according to BBC News. The Israel Defense Forces condemned what they called "the severe act of violence" and said they were investigating. Israeli police said they had opened an investigation, with no immediate announcement of any arrests.
Polish foreign ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewior said a convoy carrying diplomats including Polish officials was attacked, that the Polish diplomats were unharmed, and called attacks on diplomatic corps members absolutely unacceptable. Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the attack, calling it a small example of the "daily terrorism" to which Palestinians are subjected.
The day before, Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, a US citizen covering the harvest, was hospitalised after being assaulted by masked settlers. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the attack on Levine as "disturbing" and "not a good look".
Since 27 September, settlers have launched more than 170 attacks, Israeli rights group Yesh Din said. Father Bashar Fawadleh, parish priest of Taybeh, said settlers had never previously targeted foreign diplomats in the town and called the attack a deeply disturbing escalation in settler violence. Prosecutions of settlers accused of violent crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank are rare.
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Sources and context
- Israeli settlers attack Palestinians, European diplomats in West Bank, Belgium saysal-monitor.com
- European diplomats attacked by Israeli settlers in West BankBBC News
- Israeli settlers attack European diplomats in West BankThe Guardian
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.