West Bank: Israeli settlers attack EU diplomats, French mayor

Israeli settlers attack EU diplomats and a French mayor in the West Bank, prompting condemnation from Belgium and calls for further EU sanctions.

The full report

A group of Israeli settlers attacked vehicles carrying European diplomats in the West Bank, according to a statement from Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot. The attack occurred in the village of Taybeh, a predominantly Christian village in the occupied West Bank. Prevot said that masked settlers had attacked Palestinians, Catholic representatives, and Western diplomats and officials, including the Belgian consul general, French and Polish diplomats, and a French mayor. The Belgian foreign minister condemned the attack in the strongest terms and linked it to Israel's 'illegal settlement policy'.

Israeli police said they have opened an investigation into the alleged assault of diplomats in the occupied West Bank. In a separate statement, the Israeli military said the visit was not coordinated with them and there were no soldiers present. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reacted to the incident by criticizing an alleged 'smear' campaign against settlers. The office said that the reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest.

According to witnesses, cars from the French, Belgian, and Polish embassies had brought diplomats to visit Taybeh. Settlers then descended on the area to prevent Palestinians from gathering olives. Masked men reportedly surrounded a diplomatic vehicle with their off-road vehicles, then demanded identification and smashed a window. A witness and two diplomats also told the AFP new agency that the settlers beat up Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old leftist mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, a town in northern France.

The attack is the latest in a series of high-profile assaults on Palestinians and others during the sensitive olive harvest. At least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest began earlier this month, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Activists say Israeli authorities do little to stop attacks that involve weapons ranging from slingshots to guns.