Belgian, French and Polish envoys and a French mayor were set upon by masked men in Taybeh during the olive harvest. The IDF and Foreign Minister Sa’ar condemned it; the Prime Minister’s Office says the images do not yet show who did what. On Sunday the EU and France demanded accountability, a day after Secretary of State Rubio urged Israel to crack down. No arrests as of Sunday afternoon.
A delegation of European diplomats from Belgium, France and Poland, along with Catholic Church representatives, was attacked on Saturday, Oct. 17, in Taybeh, a largely Christian Palestinian village near Ramallah, according to the BBC and the Associated Press. The group had come to see the olive harvest, which has seen near-daily settler violence this month.
Video showed masked men confronting the convoy, and Belgian authorities said a consulate car had a window smashed. French mayor Bernard Baudoux of Aulnoye-Aymeries said he was hit with metal bars and kicked to the ground. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said “impunity for violent settlers must end” and will press for more EU sanctions.
The IDF said it “strongly condemns the severe act of violence” by “Israeli rioters,” and that police and forensic investigators were entering the area. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned it, but said the visit had not been coordinated with the IDF in advance. Israel Police said they opened an investigation once they received the footage.
In a long statement, the Prime Minister’s Office called any violence against diplomats unacceptable but urged caution before drawing conclusions. It said the footage “does not establish the complete sequence of events or individual responsibility,” noted the visit was uncoordinated, and said the reports come amid what it called a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the harvest.
On Sunday the European Union's foreign policy spokesperson said the bloc “strongly condemns” attacks by violent settlers, including on European diplomats, and expects “full accountability” and steps to stop violence during the harvest. France's Foreign Ministry called on Israeli authorities to arrest those responsible. On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the U.S. is “very disturbed” by images of settler violence and has asked Israel to “crack down,” according to Reuters.
As of Sunday afternoon no arrests had been made, The Times of Israel reported. Police officials told Ynet the missions had not provided testimony, footage or access to the vehicles; Channel 12 (N12) reported the IDF and police are trading blame.
