Belgian minister says settlers attacked Palestinians and European diplomats in West Bank
Belgium’s foreign minister reported an attack on Palestinians, European diplomats and a French mayor, a day after a US photojournalist was beaten.
Taybeh, Palestine. Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian civilians, diplomats from Europe and a French mayor in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot. The incident followed the beating of an American photojournalist by settlers the previous day.
Diplomats and mayor among those attacked
Prevot said the people attacked included Belgium’s consul general to the Palestinians, diplomats representing France and Poland, and Catholic representatives. He also reported damage to a Belgian vehicle.
Bernard Baudoux, the mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, told Reuters that masked settlers had violently assaulted him while he was picking olives near Taybeh, a Palestinian Christian village. He said he had joined the harvest to show solidarity with residents.
In a statement on X, Prevot said: “As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice. Impunity for violent settlers must end,”
Israeli and Palestinian officials condemn incident
Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, denounced the assault and characterised those responsible as Israeli rioters. In a statement on X, he also suggested that the diplomats should have arranged their visit in coordination with Israel’s military, saying that doing so could have helped keep them safe.
Hussein al-Sheikh, the Palestinian vice president, also condemned the incident. He described it as a small illustration of the terrorism Palestinians face every day.
Israeli officials, among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have condemned settler violence on various occasions while maintaining that only a small minority is responsible. Palestinians and human rights organisations reject that assessment.
Photojournalist hospitalised after Friday assault
Attacks by settlers against Palestinians across the West Bank have risen sharply during the past three years. Activists, journalists and observers from abroad have also faced attacks.
On Friday, masked settlers numbering in the dozens assaulted Palestinians as they gathered olives in the West Bank. Heidi Levine, a Washington Post photojournalist and US citizen reporting on the harvest, required hospital treatment after masked settlers assaulted her.
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