The European Union condemns settlers' attacks on diplomats in the West Bank, and Netanyahu describes it as "unacceptable"

The European Union "strongly" condemned on Sunday the attack by Israeli settlers on a European diplomatic convoy in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.

A statement by a spokesman for the bloc said, “The European Union strongly condemns the recent attacks launched by violent settlers in the West Bank, including those targeting European diplomats,” calling for “full accountability and effective measures to prevent the continuation of acts of violence and violent harassment against Palestinians, especially during the ongoing olive harvest season, as well as against journalists.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned attacks carried out by settlers in the occupied West Bank during the past few days, targeting a photojournalist working for the American newspaper "The Washington Post" and a European diplomatic delegation, considering that they "cause grave harm to Israel and insult the settlers themselves."

Netanyahu said, in statements to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, that these attacks are unacceptable and unjustified, noting that he issued instructions to the Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) to take action to confront those responsible, whom he described as mostly teenagers from families suffering from difficult social conditions.

Netanyahu's statements came after his office had previously issued two separate statements in English questioning the veracity of reports related to the assault on photographer Heidi Levin, on Friday, and on European diplomats, on Saturday, calling for delay in drawing conclusions until investigations are completed.

A delegation of European diplomats was attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, in an incident that sparked European condemnations. Belgium condemned the attack on its consul general and other envoys, demanding that Israel bring those responsible to justice.

For its part, the Israeli army condemned what it described as a “dangerous act of violence,” announcing the opening of an investigation into the incident, while the Prime Minister’s Office had indicated in a previous statement that the reports related to the attack might be part of a “coordinated campaign to defame Israel.”

On the other hand, Israeli opposition leaders held Netanyahu's government responsible for the aggravation of settler attacks, accusing it of allowing their perpetrators to act without accountability. They pledged to change the government's policy towards these attacks if they came to power, after the elections scheduled for the end of this month.

He confirmed that the Israeli police and forensic investigators had opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident and the identity of those responsible for it, warning of what he described as a “coordinated campaign to defame Israel and the Jewish population in the West Bank” during the olive harvest season, and accusing some reports of relying on sensationalist headlines before the facts became clear.

The attack came just one day after a number of Palestinians and Heidi Levin, a photographer for the Washington Post, were injured in a separate attack carried out by settlers in another village in the West Bank.

The diplomats, from Belgium, France, Poland, and the Catholic Church, arrived in the predominantly Christian village of Taybeh near Ramallah.

They were there to assess the situation on the ground, after almost daily attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians trying to harvest the olive crop.

Video footage from the site of the incident showed masked settlers confronting the convoy. Reports indicate that stones were thrown.

The Belgian authorities said that a car belonging to their consulate had one of its windows smashed, and a French mayor was also assaulted. A video clip showed a man wearing a scarf in the colors of the French flag staggering next to a vehicle.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot condemned the attack and said that Israel had a responsibility to bring those responsible to justice.

“Palestinians face this violence every day,” he said. “Settlers also target journalists covering these events and diplomats. Harvesting olives, reporting news, or performing diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack.”

He added: "As the occupying power, the Israeli authorities must protect the Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice."

“The impunity enjoyed by violent settlers must end. Belgium will continue to press for EU sanctions on those responsible for this violence and on those who support it.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that he strongly condemned the acts of violence committed by what he described as "Israeli rioters." He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with the ambassadors of the concerned countries.

But he added: “Without diminishing the seriousness of the incident, it is unfortunate that the visit was not coordinated in advance with the Israeli army. Such coordination could have helped ensure the security of the visitors.”