Convoy with Polish diplomats attacked by Israeli settlers

The incident took place in the town of Tajba near Ramallah. Diplomats visited this town in connection with the olive harvest.

According to Israeli Military Radio, seven masked settlers arrived on quad bikes, surrounded the delegation's cars and demanded that the participants show their identity documents. They then broke the window of a vehicle belonging to the Belgian consulate.

Footage of the incident appeared on social media. One of them shows a member of the delegation lying on the ground. The mayor of Tajba, quoted by Al-Jazeera, said that the French consul was also among those attacked.

Israeli police announced the launch of an investigation to help determine the identity of the perpetrators, the Times of Israel reported. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also notified about the matter. The ministry is to help contact the victims and collect their testimonies.

The attack was condemned by the Israeli army. She also noted that the visit of foreign diplomats had not been previously agreed with the military. The Israeli Defense Forces announced an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

"We confirm that in the West Bank there was an attack on a convoy containing representatives of the diplomatic corps, including Polish diplomats. According to preliminary information, Israeli settlers may be responsible for the attack.

"Nothing happened to Polish diplomats," wrote Maciej Wewiór, spokesman for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X.

Over 1,600 attacks since the beginning of the year

The attack on the diplomats came a day after another incident involving settler violence. About 80 Jewish settlers, many of them wearing masks, allegedly attacked Palestinians picking olives.

Among the injured was American photojournalist "The Washington Post" Heidi Levine. Her daughter reported that the journalist suffered a broken rib and several vertebrae, as well as serious hand injuries. On Saturday, she was to undergo surgery on a finger that was almost torn off during the attack.

Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has increased this year. According to UN data, over 1,600 attacks on Palestinians and their property were recorded by mid-September.

Residents of the region and human rights organizations accuse the Israeli authorities of insufficient response to the perpetrators' actions. The next wave of violence occurs during the olive harvest, which is an important source of income for many Palestinian families. The settlers are accused of, among others, about attacks on farmers, theft of crops and equipment, burning trees and destroying seedlings.