A group of Israeli settlers attacked several European diplomats this Saturday who were traveling in a convoy of vehicles through the town of Taibé, located east of Ramallah, in the West Bank.
According to local sources cited by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, several masked settlers armed with clubs burst into the delegation, which included representatives from various European countries.
During the incident, the settlers smashed the windows of one of the cars, belonging to the Belgian Consulate, and forced the occupants to show their documentation. In recordings circulated on social media, it can be seen how one of the diplomats is thrown to the ground.
The Israeli Army Radio has confirmed the attack and specified that diplomats from France, Belgium, and Poland were traveling in the convoy, also emphasizing that the incident coincides with the olive-picking season in the area. Among those affected would be the Belgian Consul General in Jerusalem, Anick Van Calster, and the mayor of the French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, Bernard Baudoux, 78 years old.
One of the vehicles was stoned, according to a video released by an Israeli media outlet, which also showed images of one of the diplomats, with a band with the French flag, sitting on the ground next to one of the cars. The military broadcaster claims that seven settlers surrounded one of the cars, demanded that its occupants identify themselves, and broke one of the windows.
Condemnations from Belgium and Poland
The Belgian Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot, has condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the attack by the settlers and denounces that those attacked included the Belgian Consul General in Jerusalem, Anick Van Calster, as well as French and Polish representatives, Palestinian citizens, and Catholic representatives.
"A French mayor has been assaulted and a Belgian vehicle has been damaged. Our team is safe," Prévot added in a message posted on social media.
The head of Belgian diplomacy has reminded that "Palestinians face this violence daily." "Settlers also attack journalists who report on it and diplomats," he highlighted.
For Prévot, "harvesting olives, informing or carrying out diplomatic tasks should never put anyone at risk of being attacked." Furthermore, he has pointed out to "the occupying power," Israel, that "it must protect the Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice."
"The impunity of violent settlers must end," he has appealed before expressing his intention to "pressure for EU sanctions against those responsible for this violence and those who support them." Prévot links these events to "Israel's illegal colonization policy" and has condemned this expansion and "the attempts to force the displacement of Palestinians from their lands." "The occupation of Palestinian territories must end," he has emphasized.
From Poland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that there are no injured Polish citizens and that "it seems they were not the specific target" of the attack for which they have expressed their "deep indignation."
"We are deeply outraged by this incident and condemn it in the strongest terms. Poland consistently opposes the violence of Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Attacks against members of the diplomatic corps are unacceptable," it has stated.
Warsaw has also expressed that it expects Israeli authorities to provide "urgent and detailed" explanations about what happened, identify those responsible, and "adopt effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future."
The Israeli Police has already announced the opening of an investigation into what happened. "After receiving the images, the Police has opened an investigation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been informed to locate the victims, collect their statements, and identify the suspects so they can be brought to justice," the Police has indicated.
Additionally, the Police has expressed its "condemnation of violence of any kind" and has assured that it will carry out this investigation to "ensure that all those involved in these incidents are brought to justice."