West Bank: Settlers reportedly attack European diplomats’ convoy

Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy carrying European diplomats near Taybeh in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, October 17, according to RT. The outlet reported that a French mayor was beaten and a Belgian diplomatic vehicle’s windows were smashed, drawing condemnation from France, Belgium and Poland.

The confrontation occurred near the predominantly Christian Palestinian village when settlers, some carrying baseball bats, arrived to stop Palestinians harvesting olives. The group surrounded vehicles carrying the Belgian consul general, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic Church representatives.

Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, said settlers kicked him and struck him with iron bars. The report described footage showing him seated near a jeep, dishevelled and wearing a French tricolour sash. That description of the footage does not itself establish how he sustained the alleged assault.

European governments demand accountability

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Israel, as the occupying power, had a duty to protect Palestinians and ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists. In a statement on X, he called for those responsible to face justice and urged an end to settlement expansion and efforts to forcibly remove Palestinians from their land.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israeli authorities to arrest and prosecute the attackers. Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór also condemned the violence against diplomats.

Israel condemns violence, announces investigation

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the violence, describing those involved as Israeli rioters, and said an investigation had begun. He also said the diplomatic visit had not been coordinated in advance with the Israel Defense Forces, arguing that coordination could have helped protect the visitors.

The reported attack followed another incident a day earlier near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah, where settlers reportedly beat and robbed Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine.

Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law. The report also cited UN warnings that settlement expansion damages prospects for a Palestinian state, alongside a July assessment by the UN human rights office that settler attacks on Palestinians had reached their highest level since the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023.