Israeli settlers beat French mayor with iron bars, attack European diplomats in West Bank

Israeli settlers attacked a French mayor in the West Bank on Saturday, kicking and beating him with iron bars after shouting defamatory comments about France, according to witnesses. The 78-year-old mayor, Bernard Baudoux, was participating with Palestinian olive farmers when the masked assailants targeted him alongside French and Belgian diplomats and Polish officials.

Baudoux, who was not hospitalized, spoke to AFP, alleging that the government's tolerance for such behavior is at play. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for an urgent halt to criminal violence and the arrest of those responsible.

This came a day after an American photographer for The Washington Post was similarly attacked by Israeli settlers, suffering broken vertebrae but recovering. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking support from the far-right in upcoming elections, claimed a "smear campaign" against settlers and suggested the diplomats should have coordinated with the military. Netanyahu's main opponent, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, criticized Netanyahu's handling of the violence, calling it "Jewish terrorism."

The attacks occurred in the context of escalating tensions ahead of Israel's October 27 elections and amid ongoing clashes over land and property. One Palestinian even shot and killed a settler last month. In response, Britain has initiated economic sanctions leading to the closure of the British consulate in Jerusalem, while US Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned the attack, demanding Israel prosecute the assailants.