Settlers attacked the group of European diplomats in the village of Taybeh, a Palestinian Christian village east of Ramallah, according to Israeli media and Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency. The diplomats, local media reported, were from France, Belgium and Poland.
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot slammed the attack and said it was a directly related to Israeli policies in the West Bank.
“As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice,” he said in a statement on X. “Impunity for violent settlers must end.” He said the group also included Catholic representatives.
Poland’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack in a statement on social media, saying that they “expect the Israeli authorities to provide urgent and detailed explanations, identify those responsible and ensure that they are held accountable.”
“We are deeply outraged by this incident and condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” the ministry said. “Poland has consistently opposed violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Attacks against members of the diplomatic corps are absolutely unacceptable.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Nöel Barrot called the attack “outrageous” in a social media post, urging the Israeli government to arrest those responsible immediately.
In one video from the scene, a French official, identified as Aulnoye-Aymeries mayor Bernard Baudoux, is sitting on the ground outside a vehicle with a smashed window. In other videos, masked settlers – some armed with clubs or riding all-terrain vehicles – are blocking the roads and demanding identification.
Hussein al-Sheikh, Vice President of the Palestinian Authority, called on the international community to hold Israel responsible for the attack. “This is a miniature model of the scale of the daily terrorism to which our Palestinian people are subjected, and it requires a firm international stance that imposes international protection for the Palestinian people.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he strongly condemns “the severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters.” He said the foreign ministry was in touch with the ambassadors of the countries involved and was assisting law enforcement.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there were no soldiers in the area at the time of the attack, and the visit had not been coordinated with the military.
“The IDF strongly condemns the severe act of violence that took place in the area of Taybeh, during which diplomatic representatives were attacked by Israeli rioters,” the IDF said. Israeli police are investigating.
The settler attack on the diplomats comes one day after a different incident in which settlers attacked veteran Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine as she accompanied a group of Palestinians for the start of the annual olive harvest. Levine was hospitalized and required surgery after the assault, during which she said her camera and passport were stolen. She said the assault lasted about 10 minutes, even though she was clearly wearing a protective vest that identified her as press.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly downplayed settler violence, tried to cast doubt on the attack. He said that Israel “unequivocally condemns violence against anyone,” but he issued no condemnation of the masked and armed settlers who were seen on video attacking Levine.
Despite clear and unequivocal condemnation from Sa’ar and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who called the attack on diplomats “outrageous and shocking violence,” Netanyahu once again tried to question the veracity of Saturday’s settler violence, with his office saying in a statement on X that “SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS REQUIRE SERIOUS EVIDENCE.”
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