Masked settlers assault European delegation visiting West Bank village

Masked Israeli settlers are accused of attacking a European diplomatic delegation in Taybeh, an occupied West Bank village, injuring a French mayor and damaging a Belgian consular car. The envoys were visiting to assess conditions amid repeated attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives, and the incident has prompted condemnation and calls for accountability.

Diplomats from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church were in the convoy; footage showed masked men confronting it, and reports say stones were thrown. France’s Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, said he was kicked and beaten with iron bars. Israel’s foreign minister and military condemned the violence, while the military and police investigate; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office urged caution over reports and suggested a campaign to smear Israel.