No arrests after West Bank settler attack police accuse European diplomats of not cooperating

No suspects have been arrested in the attacks on European diplomats and an American photojournalist in the West Bank over the weekend, and Israeli police officials are now accusing European diplomatic missions of failing to cooperate with the investigation into Saturday's assault near the Palestinian village of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah. According to police sources, investigators have sought detailed witness statements and photographic evidence from the European diplomats who were attacked by Jewish rioters while attending an olive harvest. However, the officials claim that the diplomatic missions involved have so far failed to cooperate with those requests. Police said investigators from the West Bank District had contacted Israel's Foreign Ministry to approach the diplomatic missions and arrange the collection of evidence. As of Saturday evening, according to the sources, the missions had not provided the requested cooperation. Investigators are seeking detailed testimony, video and photographic material, access to the vehicles involved in the attack and permission to collect forensic evidence. Police officials said the requests were intended to help identify the attackers, arrest them and ensure that everyone involved is brought to justice. The investigation is continuing, but no arrests have been made in connection with either Saturday's attack on European diplomats in Taybeh or Friday's assault on American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who works for The Washington Post, in the Palestinian village of Abu Falah. Police said their investigators and the Shin Bet domestic security agency were continuing efforts to identify those responsible for the attack on Levine, who underwent surgery on her hand Saturday. Her daughter, Ashley Milner, said one of the fingers on her mother's left hand had been cut so deeply that the bone and tendon were exposed. Levine also suffered a broken rib, fractures in several vertebrae and cuts across her body. According to police sources, West Bank District commander Maj. Gen. Moshe Pinchi is personally overseeing the investigations into the weekend's violence. He has assigned both cases to the district's central investigative unit, which is working alongside the Shin Bet. Additional investigators have been assigned to the cases, and Pinchi has emphasized the importance of intelligence sharing and investigative cooperation between police and the Shin Bet to identify the attackers and bring them to justice. Saturday's assault on the European diplomatic delegation took place during an olive harvest in Taybeh, the last entirely Christian Palestinian village in the West Bank. The delegation included representatives from France, Belgium and Poland, as well as French Mayor Bernard Baudoux of Aulnoye-Aymeries, whose municipality has a sister-city relationship with Taybeh. "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 told ynet. "They kicked the French mayor, and he was injured." A European diplomat traveling in one of the vehicles described how the delegation was forced to flee when masked settlers approached carrying sticks and metal crowbars. "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," the diplomat said. "They kicked the French mayor, and after beating him, they shouted 'Viva la France.' They had recognized the French flag," he 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?'" The diplomat said the delegation had arrived with security personnel and found it particularly troubling that the violence occurred in 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," he said. Although the reported assault on Baudoux was not captured on camera, footage subsequently showed him on the ground, while photographs documented a shattered window in a vehicle belonging to the Belgian Consulate. The attacks have provoked an international outcry and exposed conflicting responses among senior Israeli officials. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, the IDF and Israeli police condemned the violence, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued an English-language statement questioning whether the available evidence established the full sequence of events and the identity of those responsible. The Prime Minister's Office also noted that the delegation had entered a sensitive area without prior coordination with the IDF and raised concerns about what it described as a coordinated campaign to discredit Israel and Jewish residents of the West Bank during the olive harvest. Members of the European delegation rejected the suggestion that they should have coordinated the visit with the military. "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." One of the diplomats also criticized Netanyahu's response, saying the prime minister had failed to acknowledge the significance of the attack on a delegation visiting a Christian community. "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," the diplomat said. The incident has also prompted warnings of diplomatic consequences for Israel. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said his country would continue pushing for European Union sanctions against those responsible for settler violence and those supporting it. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot demanded that Israeli authorities arrest and prosecute those responsible for the attack and take urgent steps to protect civilians from further violence. Poland's Foreign Ministry also condemned the incident. The assault on Levine the previous day drew sharp criticism from Washington. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described the attack on the unarmed photographer as a despicable act of violence and called for a full investigation, arrests and prosecutions. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also expressed concern over the incidents and called on Israel to take stronger 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. The violence has renewed attention on the situation in Taybeh, where residents have reported repeated attacks on homes, vehicles and agricultural land. The village, which holds particular religious significance for Christians, has seen families leave amid growing fears over their safety. In July 2025, following an attack in which rioters set fire to a cemetery and desecrated a church, Huckabee visited Taybeh and described the incident as an act of terrorism. Despite the repeated condemnations from Israeli and foreign officials, no suspects had been arrested in either of the two latest attacks as of Sunday morning. Police say they are continuing their efforts to identify those involved and bring them to justice.