Brussels, October 18, 2026 – The Europe Today: Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians, European diplomats and a French mayor in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said, a day after settlers assaulted an American photojournalist in the territory.
Prévot said Belgium’s Consul General to the Palestinians, French and Polish diplomats, and representatives of the Catholic Church were among those targeted in the attack. A Belgian diplomatic vehicle was also damaged.
“As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice. Impunity for violent settlers must end,” Prévot said in a statement posted on X.
French Mayor Assaulted
Bernard Baudoux, Mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, said he had been harvesting olives near the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh in solidarity with the local community when he was violently attacked by masked settlers. “I was thrown to the ground,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the attack, describing those responsible as Israeli rioters. He also suggested that the diplomats should have coordinated their visit with the Israeli military, stating that “such coordination could have helped safeguard the visitors’ security.”
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the assault, describing it as a small example of the “daily terrorism” faced by Palestinians.
Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór said on X that a convoy carrying diplomats, including Polish officials, had been attacked, adding that the Polish diplomats were unharmed. “Attacks on members of the diplomatic corps are absolutely unacceptable,” he said.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have periodically condemned settler violence, while maintaining that it is carried out by a small minority. Palestinians and human rights organisations dispute that characterisation.
Israeli Police Open Investigation
Settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have risen sharply over the past three years, with journalists, activists and foreign observers also increasingly targeted.
On Friday, dozens of masked settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the West Bank. Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine, a US citizen covering the harvest, was hospitalised after being assaulted by masked settlers.
“Palestinians face this violence every day. Settlers also target journalists reporting on it and diplomats. Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” Prévot said.
Belgium, which has announced a ban on imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights, will push for European Union sanctions “against those responsible for this violence and those who support them,” the Belgian Foreign Minister added.
Israeli police said they had opened an investigation into Saturday’s incident, though no arrests had been announced. Prosecutions of settlers accused of violent crimes against Palestinians in the West Bank remain rare.
