European diplomats say they were attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank; Israel urges caution before drawing conclusions

A police investigation is underway after European diplomats said they were attacked by Israeli settlers while visiting the occupied territories. West Bank Saturday, authorities said. Meanwhile, the prime minister’s office urged caution before “drawing conclusions,” and the reports come “amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to defame Israel.”

Israeli police said they launched the investigation following images circulating online that appeared to show several diplomats being attacked near the village of Taybeh. The statement said efforts are underway to locate the victims and identify the suspects “with the goal of bringing them to justice.”

“The Israeli police condemn all forms of violence and will pursue these investigations to their fullest extent, ensuring that all those involved in such incidents are brought to justice,” the statement said.

The Israeli army condemned the “serious act of violence” during which diplomatic representatives were “attacked by Israeli rioters”. He said the diplomats’ visit had not been coordinated with them and that no military personnel were present on the scene.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the diplomats included representatives from France, Belgium and Poland.

Netanyahu says reports come amid concerns over smear campaign against Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned reports of attacks on diplomats and urged caution in drawing conclusions as it attempted to sow doubt about the circumstances surrounding the attack.

“Any violence against diplomats is unacceptable,” said a statement on Saturday. “The more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence.”

The prime minister’s office said the diplomatic delegation “entered a sensitive area with a history of confrontations” without prior coordination with the Israeli military. He said such coordination is “essential to protect visiting diplomats and prevent violence.”

In the statement, the prime minister’s office said images circulating online showed masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle. He added that the images alone cannot establish “the full sequence of events or individual responsibility.”

“These reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to defame Israel and Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest, relying on sensational headlines before all the facts are revealed,” the prime minister’s office said. “We may see further allegations in the days to come. By the time the evidence is fully examined, the reputational damage from premature conclusions may already be done.”

Diplomats detail attack, call on Israel to protect Palestinians

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot claimed on social media that Israeli settlers had targeted the Belgian consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives. CBS News contacted the Belgian consul general in Jerusalem and the Polish Foreign Ministry.

“A French mayor was attacked and a Belgian vehicle damaged. Our team is safe and sound,” Prévot wrote on X.

He linked the attack to what he called Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and called on Israeli authorities to protect Palestinians as an “occupying power.”

“Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic tasks should never put anyone at risk of attack,” he said.

Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, in northern France, told Agence France-Presse that he was attacked during a goodwill visit to Taybeh.

“The whole world needs to know what’s going on there,” he said. “For me, I will return to my country and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here.”

Baudoux said he was not seriously injured. He said the attackers kicked him and hit him with iron bars, then threw him to the ground.

“It’s the gratuitous nature of the violence that amazes me,” he said. “They arrived completely enraged.”

Netanyahu’s office, in its statement, said Baudoux had already raised the Palestinian flag above the Aulnoye-Aymeries municipal building, “prompting French authorities to order its removal.”

The Polish Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident on social media, saying in a statement that its representatives were unharmed and that, based on currently available information, “there is no indication that they were specifically targeted.”

He added: “According to preliminary information, Israeli settlers may be responsible for the incident.”

“We are deeply outraged by this incident and condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” ​​said X’s statement. “Poland has always opposed the violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. The attacks on members of the diplomatic corps are absolutely unacceptable.”

“We remain in close contact with our partners to establish all the circumstances of the incident,” the statement said.

Settler violence has increased in the West Bank

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased in recent years, particularly after the establishment of Israel’s current far-right government in late 2022, according to statistics released by the United Nations humanitarian office.

Activists say authorities are doing little to stop it, especially during this year’s annual olive harvest.

Netanyahu, in the past, has condemned the violence and vowed to crack down on what he sees as a small group of several hundred young rebels responsible for attacks against Palestinians.

Human rights groups and critics say the government is complicit in the attacks and that Netanyahu’s condemnation appears to be posturing since the Israeli military often intervenes in the attacks. on the side of the settlers and the perpetrators are rarely prosecuted.

Saturday’s attack follows a similar incident on Friday in which several people were seriously injured, including a freelance American photojournalist working for the Washington Post.

On Saturday, Heidi Levine, the veteran American journalist injured in the attack, was undergoing surgery on her finger, which was almost detached from her hand, her daughter told The Associated Press.

Ashley Milner said Levine also had a broken rib and several broken vertebrae, as well as lacerations.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday called for a thorough investigation and the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved in the attack on Levine.

“Attacking a female photographer is a despicable act of terror perpetrated by masked cowards. A dishonorable act of senseless violence,” he wrote on social media.

Israeli police and military said they had opened an investigation into Friday’s incident.