Near the Palestinian Christian village of Taybeh, Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats and a French mayor who had joined Palestinians during the olive harvest. Belgium’s consul general to the Palestinians, French and Polish diplomats, and Catholic representatives were among those present, according to Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot. The French mayor, Bernard Baudoux, said he was thrown to the ground during the assault. Belgium condemned the attack and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
The latest attacks follow a religious ruling by prominent far-right rabbi Dov Lior, who argued that Jews were permitted to harvest olives on Palestinian land to assert ownership of it. Lior has links to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party and is influential among the Hilltop Youth, a religious nationalist group associated with efforts to seize Palestinian land.
The violence comes amid reports of at least 300 settler attacks since the beginning of October, rising sharply during the olive harvest.
Although Israeli officials have periodically condemned settler violence, Palestinians and rights advocates have repeatedly accused the authorities of failing to prevent attacks and of allowing settlers to act with impunity. The latest incidents have prompted renewed calls for Israel, as the occupying power, to protect Palestinian civilians and hold perpetrators accountable.
