European diplomats attacked by Israeli settlers amid rising violence in occupied West Bank

Europe’s Diplomats Targeted by Settlers in West Bank Olive Harvest Season

Published on

17/10/2026 – 19:23 GMT+2

Masked Israeli settlers attacked a group of European diplomats on Saturday during a visit to the occupied West Bank, Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot said.

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The attackers targeted Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives in the village of Taybeh, 5 kilometres northeast of Jerusalem, according to Prevot.

“A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged. Our team is safe,” Prevot said.

He blamed what he called Israel’s “illegal settlement policy” for the attack and pledged to push for further European Union sanctions.

Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians as the “occupying power,” Prevot added.

“Impunity for violent settlers must end.”

Israel’s military called Saturday’s attack on the diplomats a “severe act of violence,” but said the visit had not been coordinated with it and no soldiers were at the scene.

Israeli police said they had opened an investigation.

“The Israel Police condemns violence of any kind and will work to complete these investigations until everyone who took part in these cases is brought to justice,” the police said in a statement.

“I strongly condemn the severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X, adding that his ministry was in contact with ambassadors from the countries concerned.

The attack followed a series of assaults on Palestinian farmers and others on Friday, when Israeli settlers attacked at least eight villages in the northern West Bank.

Violence escalates during olive harvest season

The attacks occur during the annual olive harvest, when Palestinian farmers confront heightened settler violence while reaching their fields.

In 2025, the United Nations recorded 178 olive‑harvest‑related settler attacks.

At least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since this year’s harvest began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces tightly contested elections within months, as public criticism grows over his government’s security policies and treatment of Palestinians.

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