Masked Israeli Settlers Attack European Diplomats During West Bank Olive Harvest

A group of masked Israeli settlers attacked a delegation of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, smashing a vehicle window and assaulting a French mayor as the envoys visited a Palestinian Christian village during the annual olive harvest.

The diplomats, from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church, were in Taybeh, east of Ramallah, when about seven settlers armed with clubs and arriving on all-terrain vehicles surrounded their convoy and demanded identification, according to Israeli media and Palestinian officials.

A window of a Belgian consulate vehicle was smashed, and Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was thrown to the ground.

“I was struck with metal bars and kicked before being thrown to the ground,” Baudoux said, describing how he put on his French tricolor sash in an attempt to deter the attackers. “That didn’t stop them.”

Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot condemned the assault in the strongest terms, linking it to Israel’s settlement policy. “As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice,” he said. “Impunity for violent settlers must end.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the violence by what he called “Israeli rioters,” but suggested the visit should have been coordinated with the military in advance.

The Israeli military said no soldiers were present at the scene and that the tour had not been coordinated with its forces.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later warned against “premature conclusions” and alleged a “coordinated campaign to smear Israel,” drawing criticism from opposition figures and the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh called the attack “a miniature model of the scale of the daily terrorism to which our Palestinian people are subjected.”

The assault came a day after Israeli settlers attacked Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, a US citizen who was hospitalized and required surgery while covering the olive harvest.

The United Nations says more than 200 settler attacks on Palestinian harvesters have been recorded this season, surpassing the total for all of 2025.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, strongly condemned the attacks and called for full accountability, urging Israel to abide by international law and halt settlement expansion.

Israeli police said they have opened an investigation, but no arrests have been announced.