What happened in Taybeh
Masked Israeli settlers attacked a group of European diplomats who were visiting the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot. The incident took place in the village of Taybeh, and Prevot said the settlers targeted Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives.
Prevot said a French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle was damaged. "Our team is safe," he said. The Guardian reported that the attack was the second day running of high-profile assaults on Palestinians and others during the sensitive olive harvest.
Reactions from Brussels and Jerusalem
Prevot condemned the attack on the European diplomatic convoy "in the strongest terms." He linked it to what he called Israel's "illegal settlement policy" and said he would push for further EU sanctions. He also said Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians as the "occupying power." "Impunity for violent settlers must end," he wrote on X.
He added that Belgium condemns settlement expansion and attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land.
Israel's military described the attack as a "severe act of violence." It said the diplomats' visit had not been coordinated with it and that no soldiers were at the scene. Israeli police said they had opened an investigation. In a statement, police said they condemn violence of any kind and will work to complete the investigations "until everyone who took part in these cases is brought to justice."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also condemned what he called "severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters" in a post on X. He said his ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the countries concerned.
Violence during the olive harvest
The Taybeh attack came a day after an assault that seriously injured a Washington Post photographer and others. Reuters and CNN also linked the two days of violence in their coverage.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest began earlier this month. Activists say Israeli authorities do little to stop the attacks, which involve weapons ranging from slingshots to guns.
A tense political backdrop
The attacks came less than two weeks before closely contested Israeli elections that could end Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's time in office. The Guardian described his government as the most nationalist and far right in Israel's history. It faces criticism at home over security failures and abroad over its treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Prevot's call for further EU sanctions suggests the diplomatic fallout may continue. The source material does not say whether anyone has been arrested over either attack, and it does not describe any specific steps by the countries whose diplomats were targeted beyond Belgium's statements.
