Masked settlers attacked European diplomats in the West Bank, Israeli leadership condemns the attack

Masked Israeli settlers attacked on Saturday a European diplomatic delegation in the West Bank, in the predominantly Christian village of Taybeh, a few kilometers northeast of Jerusalem. The delegation included the Belgian consul general, French and Polish diplomats, as well as representatives of the Catholic Church, who had come to the village to assess the tensions between settlers and Palestinian farmers that had flared up during the olive harvest. According to Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, a French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle was damaged, but the members of the group are safe. According to Israeli military radio, cited by the Jerusalem Post, about seven masked settlers attacked Palestinian olive pickers while the diplomats were also present at the scene. According to one witness, the attackers blocked their way, surrounded the car and demanded their identity cards — although the army was alerted, no soldiers arrived.

The attack was condemned at the highest levels in Israel as well. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar wrote on X that he firmly condemns the serious violent acts committed by Israeli thugs, and that his ministry is in contact with the ambassadors of the countries involved. The Israeli military called the incident a serious act of violence, but added that the visit had not been coordinated with it, which is why no soldiers were present at the scene. The police launched an investigation and promised to bring all those involved to justice. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was more cautious, saying it was still too early to draw conclusions, since the footage does not clearly show what happened, although he too stated that violence against diplomats is unacceptable. Prévot reacted much more sharply. He blamed Israel's "illegal settlement policy," saying that as an occupying power, Israel has a duty to protect the Palestinians, and that the impunity of violent settlers must end. He also announced that Belgium is pushing for further EU sanctions.

The attack in Taybeh is not an isolated incident. A day earlier, masked settlers had attacked at least eight villages in the northern West Bank, assaulting Palestinian farmers and injuring Heidi Levine, an American photojournalist for the Washington Post, who underwent surgery for limb injuries at Beilinson Hospital. The UN recorded 178 settler attacks linked to the olive harvest last year, while the Palestinian health ministry says at least four people have been killed and more than a hundred injured since the start of this year's harvest. Around three million Palestinians and half a million Israelis live in the West Bank, and the Netanyahu government has been criticized for months for not acting firmly enough against extremist settlers. According to reports, the Israeli military is reinforcing its West Bank division with additional combat units.

None of this should obscure the fact that Israel faces real and serious threats, and that its right to self-defense is beyond question. In Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken, making it the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Since then, the country has been fighting not only Hamas but also Lebanon's Hezbollah, as well as Iran, in a conflict that escalated into open war this year. According to an April survey by the Israel Democracy Institute, 92 percent of Jewish Israelis rated the military's performance in the war with Iran highly, and 80 percent support continuing the fight against Hezbollah even at the cost of friction with Washington. That is precisely why extremist settlers are harming Israel as well: when they attack unarmed olive pickers and European diplomats, they are not protecting the country's security but undermining the international support Israel needs against its real enemies. The State of Israel's self-defense and the settler violence raging in the occupied territories are two different things, and this distinction was drawn most sharply by Foreign Minister Sa'ar himself, when he called the attackers thugs.

The attack came at a sensitive time, as Israel is due to hold elections on October 27, and polls show Netanyahu and his challenger, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid... [Yasar] party, running neck and neck. According to an analysis by Al Jazeera, European states are increasingly moving away from targeted sanctions against far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and toward scrutiny of the Israeli state as a whole. The United Kingdom has banned the import of goods from the settlements, while Ireland and Spain are also pushing for the suspension of the EU–Israel association agreement. Meanwhile, Israeli public opinion is growing increasingly distrustful of Europe: according to a survey conducted last year by the Mitvim Institute, 67 percent of Israelis consider the EU primarily an adversary, while only 14 percent see it as a friend. The attack in Taybeh deepens this rift further, providing ammunition to those calling for Israel's isolation.

Ugar