‘They kicked the French mayor, shouted Viva la France’: Diplomat recounts West Bank settler attack

Israel's diplomatic standing in Europe is at a historic low, and as if that were not enough, Saturday afternoon brought an attack on European diplomats by Jewish rioters. Once again, security forces failed to arrive at the scene in time, and the suspects fled without being arrested. "They were attacked by seven adult men, ages 20 and older, who apparently did not come from a nearby outpost but from farther away, meaning they had been specifically summoned," one of the diplomats present at the scene said. "They kicked the French mayor, and he was injured." A European diplomat who was in one of the vehicles targeted in the attack described the terrifying moments to ynet. "The residents of Taybeh invited diplomats and peace activists to the olive harvest to protect them. At one point, we heard that settlers were approaching, so we immediately got into the car and started driving. Then I saw masked settlers carrying sticks and metal crowbars running toward us. It was clear they had no good intentions. It was frightening. They hadn't come to pick olives." "They kicked the French mayor, and after beating him, they shouted 'Viva la France.' They had recognized the French flag," the diplomat continued. "They also attacked the Belgian vehicle. When you see something like that, you say to yourself, 'My God, how can something like this happen?' We came with security personnel, and it's absurd because this is an area under Israeli control. We knew settler violence was serious, but when you witness it firsthand, you understand just how terrible it is, especially for the residents who depend on the olive harvest for their livelihoods." The mayor is Bernard Baudoux of Aulnoye-Aymeries, France, a member of the French Communist Party. The attack itself, which took place in the Christian village of Taybeh in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, was not captured on camera. However, Baudoux was subsequently filmed lying on the ground, and a vehicle belonging to the Belgian Consulate was photographed with a smashed window. "This was professional-style violence, far more severe than anything we have seen in previous incidents," the diplomat said, emphasizing that all members of the delegation were "convinced" it was "an organized operation intended to send a message to Europeans, rather than to local residents." The diplomat said members of the delegation were deeply angered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to the incident. Netanyahu has so far refrained from explicitly addressing the attack, as have the leaders of other parties in his political camp. However, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement in English casting doubt on the European account, even after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and the IDF said "Israeli rioters" were responsible for the incident. Beyond the fact that Israel is once again presenting conflicting messages to the international community, with its own officials contradicting one another, the diplomat said, "The mayor's political background is irrelevant to the question of who attacked him. Netanyahu's statement completely ignores the fact that this is a Christian village and that the delegation came from Catholic countries that consider themselves committed to protecting Christians in the West Bank. In Europe, Netanyahu's statement is seen as shocking." 'This was an attack with clubs' Members of the European delegation also responded to claims made in Israel that the visit should have been coordinated with security forces so they could provide protection for participants. "That is a misleading claim," delegation members said. "Taybeh is in Area B, and visits there do not require coordination. Diplomats visit frequently, and the military has never escorted them or required prior coordination." The Prime Minister's Office, for its part, issued the following statement: "The diplomatic delegation entered a sensitive area with a history of confrontations without prior coordination with the IDF, as officially confirmed by the military. Such coordination is essential to protecting visiting diplomats and preventing violence. The visit included Bernard Baudoux, a French Communist Party mayor who previously raised the Palestinian flag over his municipal building, prompting French authorities to order its removal. "Published footage shows masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle. Separate images show a smashed window and a person lying on the ground. These images alone do not establish the complete sequence of events or individual responsibility. Those circumstances remain under investigation. Israeli police and forensic investigators have launched an investigation to establish the facts and identify those responsible. "These reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest, relying on sensational headlines before the full facts emerge." The European delegation included representatives from Belgium, Poland and France, along with the French mayor, whose municipality has a sister-city relationship with Taybeh. They arrived a day after an attack on photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was moderately injured and underwent surgery in Israel. "They came to the only remaining entirely Christian village in the West Bank to show solidarity during the olive harvest," the diplomat said. "An 'alleged attack' or a 'confrontation with a vehicle' does not describe what happened. This was an attack with clubs, and a French elected official was injured." Unlike the leaders of parties in Netanyahu's political camp, Ofer Winter's Amcha Yisrael party condemned the attack. "The violence displayed by a handful of extremists in Judea and Samaria against diplomats is serious and deserves unequivocal condemnation," the party said. "This violent minority does not represent the residents of Judea and Samaria. It tarnishes the reputation of the great Zionist settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria and harms the settlements themselves. Anyone who supports the settlement enterprise must condemn this violent minority and take firm action against it." In Israel, meanwhile, there are concerns that the growing frequency of violent incidents in the West Bank, coupled with the failure of police and the IDF to contain them, could lead to tougher sanctions against Israel, potentially extending beyond the settlements. Following the incident, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said his country "will continue to push for European Union sanctions against those responsible for this violence and those who support them." On Saturday evening, hours after the incident, which occurred amid turmoil in France itself, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said, "The Israeli authorities must arrest those responsible for these despicable acts and bring them to justice. They must, with the utmost urgency, put an end to these criminal acts of violence and ensure the safety of civilian populations, as they are required to do under international law." Poland's Foreign Ministry also expressed outrage over the attack, as did several other European countries whose representatives had not participated in the delegation. Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee addressed the attack on Levine, saying, "Heidi is US Citizen, clear ID as journalist. Details of who under investigation, but those who attacked unarmed reporter should spend YRS in prison. We have called for a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law to whoever participated in this. Attacking a female photographer is despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards. Dishonorable act of senseless violence." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented overnight on the attacks in the West Bank, calling on Israel to take strong action against settler violence. "We’re very disturbed by those images and what we’re seeing. We’ve asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff," Rubio told reporters. His remarks followed the release of footage showing the attack on American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who works for The Washington Post. Levine was injured Friday during an assault by settlers on Palestinians. Rubio said the State Department had sought to establish the circumstances of the incident and that he expected to receive answers from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem by Sunday. He made the remarks before departing for Uzbekistan. The village that is disappearing Taybeh is the last village in the West Bank whose entire population is Christian, without exception. In ynet's "No Man's Land" series, Rabbi Benny Lau noted that the Christian population between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea has been steadily declining and now accounts for less than 1% of the Palestinian population in the area. Signs of this exodus are visible in the village's empty homes. Since October 7, 15 families have left Taybeh and the country, relocating to places where substantial communities of Taybeh expatriates have already established themselves. Father Jacques, one of the local church leaders, described to Lau how despair has been taking hold among residents. He spoke nostalgically about the years before the Second Intifada and the Oslo Accords, when, he recalled, he could get into his car and drive to Jaffa, while settlers would stop in the village to buy popsicles and ice cream for their children. The settlement of Ofra lies west of Taybeh, and numerous settler farms have been established around the village in recent years. Christian tradition identifies Taybeh with the ancient town of Ephraim, where Jesus stayed with his disciples before traveling to Jerusalem. The village is therefore considered a holy site and is home to historic churches and Christian institutions. Taybeh is also home to the brewery that has produced Taybeh Beer, the first Palestinian beer, since 1995. The village hosts an Oktoberfest-style beer festival that typically attracts Europeans visiting the region. Since 2025, Taybeh has been subjected to several attacks by Jewish rioters, including incidents in which vehicles and homes were set on fire. Several Palestinians have also been killed by live gunfire. In one incident in July 2025, rioters set fire to a cemetery and desecrated a church, prompting Huckabee to visit the village and describe the incident as an act of terrorism. But even after that visit, settlers continued their attacks, setting Palestinian vehicles on fire and spray-painting graffiti that read, "You will regret this."