Masked attackers confront Belgian, French and Polish envoys supporting Palestinian olive harvesters near Taybeh; EU and several governments demand accountability amid rising settler violence.
A group of European diplomats was attacked by masked Israeli settlers on Saturday while visiting the occupied West Bank to show solidarity with Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season.
The incident took place near the predominantly Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh, east of Ramallah. Diplomats from Belgium, France and Poland, along with Catholic Church representatives and a French mayor, were in the area to assess conditions for olive growers facing near-daily settler assaults. Video footage and witness accounts showed about seven masked men, some arriving on all-terrain vehicles, surrounding the diplomatic convoy, demanding identification documents, threatening the group and smashing a window of a Belgian consulate vehicle with stones.
European Officials Assaulted During West Bank Olive Harvest Visit:
Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, said he was kicked and beaten with iron bars before being thrown to the ground, despite wearing his official tricolour sash. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot confirmed that Belgium’s consul general was among those targeted and that a Belgian vehicle was damaged. The delegation members were reported safe after the assault.
Prevot condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” linking it to Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and stating that, as the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and end impunity for violent settlers. He pledged to push for further European Union sanctions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot described the assault as “outrageous” and called for the immediate arrest of those responsible. Poland’s Foreign Ministry demanded urgent explanations and accountability, noting that its diplomats were unharmed.
The European Union issued a statement on Sunday condemning the attack and calling for full accountability as well as effective measures to prevent further violence against Palestinians and journalists during the olive harvest. The assault occurred one day after masked settlers severely beat Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine near the village of Abu Falah, leaving her with broken vertebrae, a broken rib and other serious injuries.
Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinian Farmers and European Diplomats:
Israel’s military condemned the “severe act of violence” but said no IDF soldiers were present and that the diplomatic visit had not been coordinated with them. Israeli police opened an investigation after footage circulated online. As of the latest reports, no arrests had been announced. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office urged caution before drawing conclusions from the reports.
The attack forms part of a sharp rise in settler violence across the occupied West Bank during the current olive harvest. Palestinian health authorities have reported multiple deaths and more than 100 injuries since the season began, with farmers frequently facing attacks involving stones, clubs and, in some cases, firearms while trying to access their land. Activists and local residents say Israeli forces often fail to intervene or protect Palestinians.
Olive harvesting remains a vital economic and cultural activity for many Palestinian communities. International observers and diplomats have increasingly accompanied farmers in recent years to deter attacks and document conditions under occupation. The latest incident has intensified European diplomatic pressure on Israel over settler violence and settlement expansion in the territory it has occupied since 1967.