West Bankupdated 1h ago2 min read
Israeli Settlers Attack European Diplomatic Convoy in Taybeh, Beating French Mayor Bernard Baudoux
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Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank. French mayor Bernard Baudoux was beaten during the assault near Taybeh.
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Taybeh convoy attacked
Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank village of Taybeh, and the assault also targeted a French mayor, Bernard Baudoux, who was beaten during the incident. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot condemned the attack, saying, "This violence cannot be separated from Israel's illegal settlement policy." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the settler attacks and told the Israeli Broadcasting Authority that they "cause serious harm to Israel and harm the settlers themselves."
“This violence cannot be separated from Israel's illegal settlement policy.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he strongly condemned the violence carried out by what he described as "Israeli rioters," and he said the Foreign Ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the countries involved. The attack came after a separate assault in another West Bank village in which Heidi Levine, a Washington Post photographer, was injured on Friday, according to the accounts in the sources.
Smear campaign dispute
Netanyahu’s office questioned the reports about the assault and described a possible "coordinated campaign to smear Israel" before investigations were completed. A European diplomat in the convoy responded to Netanyahu’s doubts by saying, "The facts are clear, we were attacked." The Israeli army condemned what it described as a "serious violent act" and announced an investigation into the incident.
Bernard Baudoux told AFP that the attack showed "tolerance" by Netanyahu’s government toward settler violence, and he said, "The whole world must know what is happening here." Opposition leader Gadi Eizenkot blamed Netanyahu’s government for worsening settler attacks and accused it of fostering what he described as "Jewish terrorism" in the West Bank.
Pressure and next steps
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Israel to intensify efforts to curb settler attacks in the West Bank, and he said, "We are very disturbed by these images and the scenes we are seeing."
Rubio said the U.S. Department of State inquired about the incident involving Levine’s assault and expected a reply from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem by Sunday.
France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, called on Israeli authorities to arrest and punish those responsible, and he described the attack as "gravissime aggression."
Belgium said it would continue to press for sanctions from the European Union on those responsible for the violence and on those who support it, according to the accounts of the Belgian condemnation.
Israeli police said they opened an investigation to locate the victims, collect testimonies, and identify suspects in order to bring them to justice, while the sources also described the incident as occurring during the olive harvest season.