EU condemns Israeli settler attack on diplomats in occupied West Bank

EU demands accountability after settlers attack European diplomats amid violence against Palestinian olive farmers.

Former Israeli ambassadors and Foreign Ministry employees protest against settler violence in the occupied West Bank outside the ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday [Ilia Yefimovich/AFP]

The European Union has condemned an attack by Israeli settlers on a convoy carrying European diplomats in the occupied West Bank and called for action to stop the pogroms .

The 27-member bloc issued its statement on Sunday, the day after masked settlers attacked a visiting delegation near the Palestinian village of Taybeh.

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The assault has intensified diplomatic pressure on Israel as attacks on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest increasingly threaten journalists and foreign visitors accompanying them.

Diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland, along with representatives of the Catholic Church, were visiting the predominantly Christian village east of Ramallah to show support for Palestinian olive growers when masked men attacked them .

They threatened members of the delegation and smashed a window of a Belgian diplomatic vehicle.

Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, said he was kicked and beaten, despite wearing the ceremonial sash identifying him as a French official.

“I was thrown to the ground,” Baudoux told the Reuters news agency on Saturday.

The EU said on Sunday it welcomed statements by Israeli officials condemning the attacks but expected “full accountability” and measures to prevent further violence against Palestinians and journalists.

It also called on Israel to respect international law and stop expanding settlements in the occupied territory.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel on Saturday to arrest those responsible and protect civilians.

Prevot said Belgian personnel were safe, although their vehicle had been damaged.

Poland’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on X on Saturday evening that its diplomats were unharmed and there was no indication they had been specifically targeted.

Warsaw demanded an explanation from Israel and action against the attackers.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the violence on Saturday, describing the perpetrators as rioters and said that police had opened an investigation.

He also criticised the delegation for failing to coordinate its visit with the Israeli military, arguing that advance arrangements could have helped protect the visitors.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said violence against diplomats was unacceptable but questioned whether video circulating online provided enough evidence to establish exactly what happened.

Violence during olive harvest

The diplomatic incident followed another attack on Friday in the village of Abu Falah, near Ramallah. Masked settlers assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives and severely injured US photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was covering the farmers for The Washington Post.

Levine said she was beaten for more than 10 minutes, despite wearing protective clothing identifying her as a journalist.

She suffered broken ribs and underwent surgery on her hand. Her camera, phone and passport were stolen.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in Maryland on Saturday, urged Israel to crack down on settler pogroms and warned that President Donald Trump did not want another crisis in the West Bank.

In a statement on X on Saturday evening, the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee described Levine’s assault as a “despicable act of terror” and demanded prosecutions.

The attacks have disrupted an olive harvest that provides income for tens of thousands of Palestinian families.

On Sunday, Israeli settlers cut down 120 olive trees on Palestinian-owned land in the village of Kisan, southeast of Bethlehem, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Farmers have reported assaults, stolen crops, damaged trees and restrictions preventing them from reaching their land.

The United Nations humanitarian office said last week that nearly 200 settler attacks linked to this year’s harvest had caused casualties or property damage, already exceeding the 185 incidents recorded throughout last year’s season.

在巴勒斯坦橄榄种植户遭受暴力袭击后，定居者袭击欧洲外交官，欧盟要求追究相关责任。

周日，以色列前驻外大使和外交部工作人员在耶路撒冷外交部外抗议被占领的西岸定居者暴力行为。[Ilia Yefimovich/AFP]

欧盟谴责以色列定居者袭击在被占领的约旦河西岸运送欧洲外交官的车队，并呼吁采取行动制止种族清洗。

由 27 个成员国组成的联盟于周日发表声明，此前一天，蒙面定居者袭击了一个到访的巴勒斯坦代表团，地点靠近泰贝村。

以色列与欧洲的关系正在恶化。此次选举能否改变这种状况？（列表1/2）

（共2条）批评人士称，在橄榄收割袭击事件激增之际，应追究以色列的责任。

此次袭击加剧了以色列面临的外交压力，因为在橄榄收获期间对巴勒斯坦农民的袭击日益威胁到记者和随行的外国访客的安全。

来自法国、比利时和波兰的外交官以及天主教会的代表正在访问拉马拉东部一个以基督教徒为主的村庄，以示对巴勒斯坦橄榄种植者的支持，结果遭到蒙面人的袭击。

他们威胁代表团成员，并砸碎了一辆比利时外交车辆的车窗。

法国北部奥努瓦-艾梅里市78岁的市长贝尔纳·博杜表示，尽管他佩戴着表明其法国官员身份的礼仪绶带，但他仍然遭到踢打。

“我被摔倒在地，”博杜克斯周六告诉路透社。

欧盟周日表示，欢迎以色列官员发表声明谴责袭击事件，但希望以色列承担“全部责任”，并采取措施防止针对巴勒斯坦人和记者的进一步暴力行为。

它还呼吁以色列尊重国际法，停止在被占领土上扩大定居点。

法国外交部长让-诺埃尔·巴罗周六呼吁以色列逮捕肇事者并保护平民。

普雷沃特表示，比利时人员安全，尽管他们的车辆遭到损坏。

波兰外交部周六晚间在X网站上发表声明称，其外交官安然无恙，也没有迹象表明他们是特定目标。

华沙方面要求以色列做出解释，并对袭击者采取行动。

以色列外交部长吉迪恩·萨尔周六谴责了暴力事件，称肇事者是暴徒，并表示警方已展开调查。

他还批评代表团未能与以色列军方协调访问事宜，认为提前安排可以帮助保护来访者。

以色列总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡的办公室表示，针对外交官的暴力行为是不可接受的，但质疑网上流传的视频是否提供了足够的证据来确定究竟发生了什么。

橄榄采摘期间的暴力事件

此前，周五在拉马拉附近的阿布法拉赫村也发生了一起袭击事件。蒙面定居者袭击了正在采摘橄榄的巴勒斯坦人，并严重伤害了当时正在为《华盛顿邮报》报道农民情况的美国摄影记者海蒂·莱文。

莱文说，尽管她穿着表明记者身份的防护服，但还是被殴打了10多分钟。

她肋骨骨折，手部也做了手术。她的相机、手机和护照都被偷了。

美国国务卿马可·卢比奥周六在马里兰州对记者表示，敦促以色列严厉打击定居者暴行，并警告说，唐纳德·特朗普总统不希望西岸再次发生危机。

周六晚间，美国驻以色列大使迈克·赫卡比在 X 网站上发表声明，称莱文的袭击是“卑鄙的恐怖主义行为”，并要求对肇事者进行起诉。

这些袭击扰乱了橄榄的收成，而橄榄收成是数万个巴勒斯坦家庭的收入来源。

据巴勒斯坦通讯社瓦法社报道，周日，以色列定居者在伯利恒东南部的基桑村砍伐了巴勒斯坦人拥有的土地上的 120 棵橄榄树。

农民们反映遭到袭击、庄稼被盗、树木遭到破坏，并且受到限制无法进入自己的土地。

联合国人道主义事务协调厅上周表示，与今年收割有关的近 200 起定居者袭击事件造成了人员伤亡或财产损失，已经超过了去年整个收割季记录的 185 起事件。