EU ‘strongly condemns’ settler attack on delegation in West Bank

The European Union issued a strong condemnation on Sunday following a violent settler attack on a delegation of European diplomats in the West Bank on Saturday. The EU expressed deep regret over the incident and urged Israel to take full responsibility for the act of violence, as well as to implement effective measures to prevent further acts of aggression against Palestinians and journalists.

The foreign service released a communique condemning the latest assaults by violent settlers in the territory, which included targeting European diplomats. The statement called for Israel to adhere strictly to international humanitarian and human rights laws, and to cease the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

On Saturday, Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the West Bank and physically assaulted a visiting French mayor, Bernard Baudoux. The mayor alleged that the assailants, identified as masked settlers, hurled abusive comments about France while physically attacking him with iron bars.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned against a brewing crisis in the region, coming on the heels of an American photojournalist, Heidi Levine, being injured by Israeli settlers while photographing Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in Abu Falah. The surge in violence is occurring in the lead-up to Israel's highly contested parliamentary elections on October 27th, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempts to bolster his pro-settlement right-wing voter base.

The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, and his Belgian counterpart issued joint calls for Israel to urgently halt the criminal violence and bring those responsible to justice.