The incident took place in Taybeh, a predominantly Christian town north of Jerusalem, where diplomats and other French, Polish and Belgian officials watched local people harvest olives. Video footage of the attack showed settlers confronting a convoy of diplomats and a man wearing a French tricolor scarf slumped next to a car.
“The mayor of the commune of Aulnoye-Aymeries was violently attacked by extremist settlers in the West Bank,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X, adding that Israel “must urgently put an end to these criminal acts.”
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxim Prévot said that in addition to the attack on the French mayor, a Belgian vehicle was damaged in the incident. He added that “Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists and bring those responsible to justice,” and said Belgium “will continue to press for the EU to impose sanctions against those responsible for this violence and those who support them.”
On Sunday morning, an EU spokesperson said the bloc “strongly condemns” attacks by violent settlers in the West Bank, “including against European diplomats.”
The spokesperson added: “We take positive note of the statements of several Israeli representatives who condemned the attacks, but we expect full accountability as well as effective measures to prevent continued acts of violence and violent harassment against Palestinians, including during the current olive harvest season, as well as against journalists. »
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The IDF added that “according to a preliminary investigation, no IDF soldiers were present at the scene at the time of the attack.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office urged caution “before drawing conclusions” from reports of the attack, while noting that “any violence against diplomats is unacceptable.”
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