Taybeh settler attack on diplomats leaves French mayor beaten

Israeli settlers beat a visiting French mayor on Saturday in a Taybeh settler attack that also hit a convoy of European diplomats in the West Bank.

Witnesses and diplomats said masked settlers kicked 78-year-old Bernard Baudoux and hit him with iron bars. Afterwards he sat collapsed beside a car, though he did not need hospital care.

Baudoux leads the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries. He had joined Palestinian olive farmers alongside the top French and Belgian envoys in Jerusalem and Polish diplomats.

What happened in Taybeh

The diplomats had gone to Taybeh, a mostly Christian village, after a ceremony that marked a twinning pact between the village and a French town. Settlers arrived as Palestinians gathered olives.

Taybeh’s mayor, Suleiman Khourieh, said several Palestinian residents suffered injuries and a Belgian mission vehicle took damage. He called the assault a violation of the sanctity of diplomatic work.

Israeli media showed footage of a delegation member lying beside a diplomatic car. Army radio reported that attackers threw stones and shattered a window. Police have arrested no one so far, and the army said it was reviewing the incident.

“The whole world needs to know what’s happening,” Baudoux said afterwards.

Reaction to the Taybeh settler attack

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the attack “appalling” and said Israel must arrest those responsible. He urged it to halt criminal violence and protect civilians.

Belgium demanded an end to impunity for violent settlers. Israel’s foreign ministry condemned the incident, and police promised an investigation.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned “severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters,” a rare rebuke of settlers from the government. Saar also blamed the diplomats for failing to coordinate with the army.

Netanyahu cites a smear over the Taybeh settler attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office took a different line. It said the reports came amid a coordinated effort to smear Israel and the settlers during the olive harvest.

Netanyahu added a remark about Baudoux, describing him as a communist who has long backed the Palestinian cause. His office urged caution before anyone drew conclusions about the Taybeh settler attack.

The row comes just days before an election on October 27. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot said the violence was burning away Israel’s remaining legitimacy.

A violent olive harvest

The harvest has turned especially violent this year, as settlers try to block Palestinians from reaching their groves. Olive farming supports thousands of families. For many of them, the harvest sets their income for the whole year, so any block on access hits them hard. Farmers also face wider restrictions on reaching their land, Taybeh’s mayor said.

One day earlier, settlers badly hurt an American photographer who was covering the harvest, leaving her with broken vertebrae. A week before that, another photographer took a beating.

Netanyahu had suggested that Palestinians or far-left activists might have caused the earlier attack, a claim that drew criticism.

After the Taybeh settler attack, European diplomats now face open questions about how safely they can visit Palestinian farmers during the harvest.