Israeli settlers on Saturday attacked a convoy of European diplomats and beat up a visiting French mayor, in a sharp escalation of violence during the Palestinian olive harvest, witnesses and diplomats said.
The 78-year-old mayor said masked settlers shouted defamatory comments about France, kicked him and hit him with iron bars as he joined Palestinian olive farmers in the occupied West Bank. He was travelling with the top French and Belgian representatives in Jerusalem and Polish diplomats.
Israeli settlers beat French mayor Bernard Baudoux, who leads the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries. “I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government,” Baudoux said after the attack.
How Israeli settlers beat French mayor at the olive harvest
“The whole world needs to know what’s happening,” Baudoux said. “For me, I’ll go back to my country and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here.”
Baudoux, wearing a sash with the French tricolour, was seen collapsed beside a car after the attack, but he did not need hospital care. Photographs showed the mayor, in his blue, white and red sash, leaning against a vehicle as masked men intercepted and surrounded the convoy’s car at a village in the occupied West Bank.
Baudoux said he had come to Taybeh, a Christian stronghold, with his local pastor from France to sign a goodwill agreement. He was attacked just as he joined the harvest as a symbolic gesture with Palestinians, for whom olives are an important cultural symbol.
Bashar Fawadleh, a priest in Taybeh, said settlers had already attacked the harvest and snatched olives before beating the mayor. “One person was hit in the head and needed stitches. They also beat up an older lady in her 70s after insulting her with very bad words,” the pastor said.
Second attack in two days
The attack came just one day after settlers beat an American photographer for The Washington Post. Heidi Levine was in moderate condition with broken vertebrae on Saturday.
Israel’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on the diplomats, and Israeli police promised to open an investigation. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, days away from an election in which he is seeking to shore up far-right support, instead alleged a “smear” campaign against settlers.
Netanyahu said the diplomats should have coordinated their movements with the Israeli military. He also pointed out that Baudoux is a communist known for supporting the Palestinian cause. “We urge caution before drawing conclusions” about the attacks, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
His main rival in the Oct 27 elections, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, strongly criticised Netanyahu over the violence. He said it was “burning away the little legitimacy the State of Israel still possesses”. The attacks are “Jewish terrorism, under the auspices of the Israeli government”, Eisenkot said. Belgium called for an end to “impunity for violent settlers” after the latest attack.
The violence is part of a widening pattern. Extremist Israelis have issued calls to stop the Palestinians’ harvest after months of growing attacks in which settlers have stolen land and property. There has also been violence against Israelis, with a Palestinian shooting dead a settler last month.
The West Bank violence has shocked much of the world, with Britain leading economic sanctions that in turn caused Netanyahu to voice outrage. Netanyahu had also sought to cast doubt on the circumstances behind Levine’s beating, alleging that Palestinians and “far-left” activists caused trouble.
The episode follows a pattern of diplomatic friction over the settlements. European diplomats have already urged EU action on West Bank settlements, while Israeli strikes in Gaza continue to draw condemnation. In Pakistan, a Gaza solidarity march in Karachi marked the October 7 anniversary, and JI has made the Makkah pact’s Palestine priority a rallying point.
Source: Dawn
Who was attacked by the settlers?
A convoy of European diplomats, including the top French and Belgian representatives in Jerusalem and Polish diplomats, was attacked. French mayor Bernard Baudoux, 78, was beaten with iron bars.
Where did the attack happen?
It took place in the occupied West Bank, near the town of Taybeh, where the diplomats had joined Palestinian olive farmers for the harvest as a symbolic gesture.
How did Israel’s government respond?
The foreign ministry condemned the attack and police promised an investigation, but Prime Minister Netanyahu alleged a “smear” campaign against settlers and said the diplomats should have coordinated with the military.
Why is the olive harvest a flashpoint?
Olives are a major cultural and economic symbol for Palestinians. Extremist Israelis have called for stopping the harvest, and months of settler attacks on Palestinian land and property have made the season increasingly violent.
