Israeli settlers attack group of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank

Zain Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli settlers attacked a group of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, one day after a Washington Post journalist was injured in another assault.

Settlers attacked the group of European diplomats in the village of Taybeh, a Palestinian Christian village east of Ramallah, according to Israeli media and Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency. The diplomats, local media reported, were from France, Belgium and Poland.

Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot slammed the attack and said it was a directly related to Israeli policies in the West Bank.

“As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice,” he said in a statement on X. “Impunity for violent settlers must end.” He said the group also included Catholic representatives.

CNN has reached out to the foreign ministries of France and Poland for comment.

In one video from the scene, a French official, identified as Aulnoye-Aymeries mayor Bernard Baudoux, is sitting on the ground outside a vehicle with a smashed window. In other videos, masked settlers - some armed with clubs or riding all-terrain vehicles - are blocking the roads ahead of the diplomats and demanding identification.

Hussein al-Sheikh, Vice President of the Palestinian Authority, called on the international community to hold Israel responsible for the attack. “This is a miniature model of the scale of the daily terrorism to which our Palestinian people are subjected, and it requires a firm international stance that imposes international protection for the Palestinian people.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he strongly condemns “the severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters.” He said the foreign ministry was in touch with the ambassadors of the countries involved and was assisting law enforcement.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there were no soldiers in the area at the time of the attack, and the visit had not been coordinated with the military.

“The IDF strongly condemns the severe act of violence that took place in the area of Taybeh, during which diplomatic representatives were attacked by Israeli rioters,” the IDF said. Israeli police are investigating.

The settler attack on the diplomats comes one day after a different incident in which settlers attacked veteran Washington Post journalist Heidi Levine as she accompanied a group of Palestinians for the start of the annual olive harvest. Levine was hospitalized and required surgery after the assault, during which she said her camera and passport were stolen. She said the assault lasted about 10 minutes, even though she was clearly wearing a protective vest that identified her as press.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly downplayed settler violence, tried to cast doubt on the attack. He said that Israel “unequivocally condemns violence against anyone,” but he issued no condemnation of the masked and armed settlers who were seen on video attacking Levine.

Zain Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images

周六，以色列定居者在被占领的约旦河西岸袭击了一群欧洲外交官。此前一天，《华盛顿邮报》一名记者在另一起袭击中受伤。

据以色列媒体和巴勒斯坦官方通讯社瓦法社报道，定居者在拉马拉以东的巴勒斯坦基督教村庄泰贝赫袭击了一群欧洲外交官。当地媒体报道称，这些外交官来自法国、比利时和波兰。

比利时外交大臣马克西姆·普雷沃谴责了这次袭击，并表示这与以色列在西岸的政策直接相关。

他在一份声明中表示：“作为占领国，以色列当局必须保护巴勒斯坦人，确保外交官和记者的安全，并将肇事者绳之以法。必须结束对暴力定居者的有罪不罚现象。”他还表示，该组织成员中也包括天主教代表。

CNN已联系法国和波兰外交部寻求置评。

一段现场视频显示，一名被确认为奥努瓦-艾梅里市市长贝尔纳·博杜的法国官员坐在车窗破碎的汽车外。在其他视频中，一些蒙面定居者——其中一些人手持棍棒或驾驶全地形车——封锁了外交官们前方的道路，并要求他们出示身份证明。

巴勒斯坦权力机构副主席侯赛因·谢赫呼吁国际社会追究以色列对此次袭击的责任。“这只是巴勒斯坦人民每天遭受恐怖主义袭击的一个缩影，需要国际社会采取坚定立场，为巴勒斯坦人民提供国际保护。”

以色列外交部长吉迪恩·萨尔表示，他强烈谴责“以色列暴徒的严重暴力行为”。他说，外交部已与涉事国家的大使取得联系，并正在协助执法部门。

以色列国防军（IDF）表示，袭击发生时该地区没有士兵，此次访问也没有与军方协调。

以色列国防军表示：“以色列国防军强烈谴责发生在泰贝地区的暴力事件，以色列暴徒袭击了外交代表。” 以色列警方正在对此事进行调查。

在定居者袭击外交官的前一天，资深《华盛顿邮报》记者海蒂·莱文（Heidi Levine）也遭到定居者袭击。当时，她正陪同一群巴勒斯坦人参加一年一度的橄榄采摘活动。莱文在袭击中被送往医院并接受了手术。她说，袭击过程中她的相机和护照被抢走。她表示，尽管她当时穿着印有记者身份标识的防弹背心，但袭击仍然持续了大约10分钟。

以色列总理内塔尼亚胡曾多次淡化定居者暴力事件，并试图对此次袭击事件表示怀疑。他表示，以色列“毫不含糊地谴责针对任何人的暴力行为”，但他并未谴责视频中袭击莱文的蒙面持械定居者。