Masked settlers attack European diplomats and French mayor in West Bank village of Taybeh

Masked Israeli settlers attacked a delegation of European diplomats and religious representatives on Saturday in Taybeh, a largely Christian village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to BBC News and the Associated Press, whose report was published by PBS NewsHour.

The group included Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats and representatives of the Catholic Church, the outlets reported. Belgian authorities said a consulate car had a window smashed, BBC News reported, and a French mayor, Bernard Baudoux of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was assaulted.

Baudoux wrote on Facebook that masked people carrying metal bars arrived in three vehicles, struck and kicked him and threw him to the ground, the AP reported. He said he was fine. He told AFP, as cited by the BBC, that the assault reflected tolerance for settler violence by Israel's right-wing government. "It's the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me," he said.

The outlets described the purpose of the visit somewhat differently. The BBC said the delegation came to assess conditions amid near-daily settler attacks on Palestinian olive harvesters, while the AP said Baudoux and others traveled to formalize a twinning agreement with his community and then joined the harvest.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot condemned the attack, said Israel must hold those responsible to account and pledged to push for EU sanctions. "Impunity for violent settlers must end," he said, according to both outlets. France's foreign minister and Poland's foreign ministry also condemned the incident, the AP reported.

Israel's military called it a severe act of violence and said a preliminary inquiry found no soldiers were present, the outlets reported. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the violence but, according to the BBC, said the visit had not been coordinated with the military in advance; the AP attributed that point to the military's statement. Israeli police opened an investigation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office urged caution, saying social media images did not establish the full sequence of events, and cited concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel, both outlets reported. His election rival Gadi Eisenkot called the attack "Jewish terror," the AP said.

The attack came a day after settlers injured several Palestinians and Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine in another West Bank village. The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since this month's olive harvest began, according to the AP, which noted that Israeli elections are less than two weeks away.

Compiled by True News from reporting by BBC News and PBS NewsHour. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/191