TAYBEH, occupied West Bank — October 18, 2026 — Masked Israeli settlers attacked a delegation of European diplomats near the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, beating a visiting French mayor with iron bars and smashing the window of a Belgian consular vehicle, in an assault that has drawn condemnation from Paris, Brussels and Warsaw.
Diplomats Ambushed During Solidarity Visit
The delegation, which included diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland alongside Catholic representatives, had travelled to Taybeh, east of Ramallah, to express solidarity with Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest and to celebrate a friendship agreement between French and Palestinian towns, witnesses and media reports said.
According to accounts cited by AFP and Reuters, at least seven masked settlers surrounded the convoy, demanded identification documents, smashed the window of the Belgian consulate’s vehicle and assaulted the French mayor. One video from the scene shows Bernard Baudoux, 78, the mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, sitting on the ground outside a vehicle with a shattered window, still wearing his tricolour mayor’s sash.
“I had my mayor’s sash on, with the blue, white and red colours, which clearly represent the symbol of France, in an attempt to protect the people around me. Well, that was not enough, and I was attacked, violently attacked,” Baudoux told Reuters. Witnesses said he was kicked and struck with iron bars before others rushed in to shield him. Among those present was Anick Van Calster, Belgium’s consul general in Jerusalem.
Europe Condemns, Belgium Presses for Sanctions
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot condemned the attack in the strongest terms, saying on social media that “impunity for violent settlers must end” and that Israel, as the occupying power, must protect diplomats and bring those responsible to justice. He added that “violence cannot be separated from Israel’s illegal settlement policy” and that Belgium will continue to press for European Union sanctions against those responsible.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the attack “outrageous” and urged the Israeli government to arrest the perpetrators immediately. Poland’s Foreign Ministry said it was “deeply outraged,” demanding urgent explanations, the identification of those responsible and guarantees they are held accountable.
Israel Calls It ‘Severe Act of Violence’
Israel’s military confirmed the incident and called it “a severe act of violence,” while police said the West Bank district had opened an investigation. The Belgian foreign ministry told Haaretz that Israel bears responsibility for security in the area and no prior coordination of such visits was required.
Harvest Violence Peaks Before Elections
The assault came just one day after settlers seriously injured an American photojournalist working for the Washington Post while she covered the olive harvest near Ramallah, and a week after an AFP photographer was beaten in a similar attack. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured in settler violence since this year’s olive harvest began.
The unrest is unfolding in the final days of Israel’s closely contested election campaign, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly championed settler voters. EU ministers discussed sanctioning violent settlers at their October 12 meeting in Brussels but failed to agree, and diplomats said Saturday’s attack could force the issue back onto the agenda.
