Israel is facing calls to arrest Israeli settlers who attacked a European diplomatic delegation visiting the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli government said that “the more serious the accusation, the greater the demand for compelling evidence”. Video footage of the incident, however, appears to show masked settlers confronting the diplomatic delegation, while witnesses said the attackers pulled people from vehicles and beat a French mayor who was part of the delegation.
The diplomatic delegation was composed of representatives from France, Belgium and Poland, including Belgium’s consul general in Jerusalem, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives. French local officials were also present during the visit, which included a show of solidarity with Palestinian olive farmers during the annual harvest. A vehicle belonging to the Belgian consulate was damaged during the attack.
French Mayor Bernard Baudoux, who was among those assaulted, said that the attack demonstrated the Israeli government’s tolerance of settler violence.
“I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government,” Baudoux, the mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, told Agence France-Presse.
“The whole world needs to know what’s happening,” he added, saying that while he could return safely to France, Palestinians living in the occupied territory continued to suffer.
Mayor Baudoux, 78, said that masked settlers kicked him, struck him with iron bars and threw him to the ground. He did not require hospital treatment.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot condemned the attack and called on Israel to protect Palestinians, diplomats and journalists. He also urged authorities to hold those responsible accountable, warning that harvesting olives, reporting the news and carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of violence.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot similarly called on Israel to halt settler violence and arrest those responsible for the assault.
Israel’s police said they had opened an investigation and were working to identify the suspects. The Israeli military also condemned the incident, although it said the diplomatic visit had not been coordinated with it and that no soldiers were present at the scene.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office downplayed the incident, arguing that the footage did not establish the full sequence of events or individual responsibility. It also criticised the delegation for visiting the area without prior coordination with the military.
The attack took place amid growing violence against Palestinians during the annual olive harvest, when farmers face attacks and restrictions while attempting to reach their land. It also came a day after American photojournalist Heidi Levine was seriously injured in an assault by settlers while covering olive harvesting in the West Bank.
Settlers have occupied numerous homes and taken control of main roads leading into Taybeh, leaving residents increasingly isolated and vulnerable to further harassment. Settlers also established outposts and have taken control of a cement factory.
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