European diplomats ‘attacked by Israeli settlers’ in West Bank

Masked Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats as they visited the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to a French mayor who said he was beaten with metal bars. Bernard Baudoux, the mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives were all targeted in the attack, which took place in the village of Taybeh. Most commented 1 Starlink deliberately slowed in Ukraine, says Zelensky Russia-Ukraine war 1,133 comments 2 Katie Zacharia departs as Trump’s press secretary after less than a week US politics 704 comments 3 Hundreds of British troops to rehearse Ukraine mission Politics 322 comments 4 Scotland plane crash: boy, 16, and flight instructor, 80, killed Scotland 53 comments 5 All Blacks leave Australia chasing shadows in dazzling first half Rugby union 32 comments Israel’s military confirmed the attack and called it a “severe act of violence,” while Israeli police said that they had opened an investigation. Top stories 1 US inflation hotter than expected as Iran war stokes fuel costs Economics The day before, an American photographer employed by the Washington Post was hospitalised after being beaten by settlers amid escalating tensions in the West Bank ahead of Israel’s closely contested elections . Israeli settlers also attacked a group of Palestinians harvesting olives near Turmus Ayya on Friday Ammar Awad/Reuters Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister who is bidding to retain power , is facing increasing international criticism over settler violence. At least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the region’s olive harvest began earlier this month, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Advertisement Baudoux said that masked settlers yelled defamatory comments about France, kicked him and hit him with iron bars in Saturday’s attack. Top stories 1 Will Lyons: my vintage wine tour of South Australia Inspiration “I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government,” Baudoux told AFP. “The whole world needs to know what’s happening. “For me, I’ll go back to my country and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here.” Maxime Prevot, the Belgian foreign minister, linked Saturday’s attack to Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” and pledged to push for further European Union sanctions. “Impunity for violent settlers must end,” he added. Poland’s foreign ministry said that it was “deeply outraged by this incident,” while France’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, urged Israel to “put an end to this criminal violence and ensure the safety of civilians, as they are required to do under international law.” Advertisement Israel closes British consulate in Jerusalem blaming ‘hostile rhetoric’ Baudoux and others had traveled to Taybeh to formalise a twinning agreement between the village and Aulnoye-Aymeries, and then participated in the olive harvest, which is a key source of income for Palestinians and is targeted every year in violent settler attacks. Israel’s military said the visit had not been co-ordinated with it and that no soldiers were present at the scene. Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, condemned the “severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters,” adding on X that his ministry was in contact with ambassadors from the countries concerned. Netanyahu’s office later warned against “premature conclusions” and noted concerns about “a co-ordinated campaign to smear Israel.” Advertisement Netanyahu’s main rival in the elections, Gadi Eisenkot, said on X that “a handful of criminals is burning up the last shreds of legitimacy left to the state of Israel.”