Israeli settlers attack European diplomats, beat French mayor

Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats, Palestinian olive harvesters, and a visiting French mayor in the Taybeh area of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, according to the Times of India. The Times of India reports that vehicles belonging to diplomats from France, Belgium, and Poland were targeted, with footage showing one diplomatic vehicle having a window smashed by stones.

Witnesses testified that seven masked settlers surrounded the vehicle and demanded identification documents. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot stated that the Belgian consul general to the Palestinians, along with French and Polish diplomats and a French mayor, were among those targeted, noting that a Belgian vehicle was also damaged.

Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, was also attacked by masked settlers, according to the Times of India. Le Monde English reports that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot issued a statement calling for Israel to urgently halt criminal violence and arrest those responsible for the attack on the mayor.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed there was a lack of “compelling evidence” regarding the attack on European diplomats, suggesting the incident might be part of a “coordinated smear campaign,” per the Times of India. The incident occurred one day after masked settlers allegedly assaulted American photojournalist Heidi Levine during the olive harvest.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, Times of India — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.