Settlers in the West Bank attack European diplomats, a French mayor, and representatives of the Catholic Church, and the Israeli authorities are investigating the incident.

Today, Saturday (October 17, 2026), Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats while they were touring the occupied West Bank, and beat up a French mayor who was visiting the area during the olive harvest season.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said that masked settlers in the West Bank attacked Palestinians and representatives of the Catholic Church, in addition to Western diplomats and officials.

Prevot explained that the Belgian Consul General, French and Polish diplomats, as well as a French mayor, were among the people who were attacked.

In a post on the X platform, Prevo condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” noting that a Belgian car was also damaged during the incident.

What happened?

Eyewitnesses said that cars belonging to the French, Belgian and Polish missions were transporting diplomats to visit the predominantly Christian town of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank, when settlers launched an attack to prevent Palestinians from picking olives.

Masked settlers made hostile statements towards the diplomats before kicking the mayor of Aulnois-Imery in northern France, Bernard Boudeau (78 years old), according to diplomats and eyewitnesses who spoke to Agence France-Presse.

Bernard Boudeau said after he was attacked during a visit to the town of Taybeh as part of a European diplomatic delegation, "I think that if the settlers behave in this way, this means there is leniency on the part of the Israeli government."

He added, "The whole world needs to know what is happening here. I will return to my country and things will be fine. But those who suffer most are the ones who live here."

"Israeli rioters"

For its part, the Israeli police announced that it had opened an investigation into the alleged assault on diplomats in the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the diplomats included representatives of France, Belgium and Poland. In a separate statement, the Israeli army said that the visit was not coordinated with it, and that there were no soldiers at the site of the incident.

The police statement said: “The Israeli Police condemns violence in all its forms, and will work to complete these investigations until all those involved in these incidents are brought to justice.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar condemned the attack, describing its perpetrators as Israeli rioters. He also noted that the diplomats should have coordinated their visit with the Israeli army. “This coordination could have helped ensure the security of visitors,” he said in a statement on X.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the incident by criticizing what it described as a "smear campaign" targeting settlers.

The office’s statement said, “These reports come amid fears of a coordinated campaign to distort the image of Israel and the Jewish population in Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest season, based on sensationalist headlines before all the facts have emerged.”

Edited by: Arif Jabo