Settler violence in West Bank draws international condemnation

France, Belgium, Poland and the United States on Saturday called on Israel to end settler violence in the occupied West Bank and hold those responsible to account. The statements followed an attack by masked settlers on a convoy of European diplomats and, a day earlier, the severe beating of an American photojournalist.

Masked settlers armed with clubs attacked French, Belgian and Polish diplomats alongside Palestinian olive pickers in the village of Taybeh, near Ramallah, according to the Israeli police, the military and media reports. A vehicle belonging to the Belgian consulate had its window smashed and Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was assaulted.

In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on social media platform X, demanding that Israel arrest those responsible.

"The Israeli authorities must imperatively arrest those responsible for these outrageous acts and bring them to justice," he said.

"They must urgently put an end to this criminal violence and guarantee the safety of civilian populations, as they are obliged to do under international law," he added.

Baudoux had come to Taybeh, a largely Christian village, to sign a goodwill cooperation agreement between his town and the village, French daily Le Monde reported.

In Belgium, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prevot condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack and said all members of his country's delegation were safe. He linked the attack to what he called Israel's "illegal settlement policy" and pledged to push for further European Union sanctions against violent settlers and their supporters, adding that "impunity for violent settlers must end."

"Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack," he said, calling on Israel to protect civilians as the "occupying power."

Poland's Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply outraged" by the incident. It said Polish representatives were unharmed and that, based on currently available information, there was "no indication that they were specifically targeted."

In Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Saturday that Washington was "very disturbed" by images of settler violence, including the beating of an American journalist the previous day.

"We've asked the Israelis and continue to ask them to crack down on that stuff," he said, adding that US President Donald Trump "does not want to see friction or anything – a crisis going on in the West Bank" and "doesn't want to see a new spark."

Rubio spoke a day after settlers seriously injured Heidi Levine, an American photojournalist working for The Washington Post, as she covered the harvest in the village of Abu Falah. Levine suffered a broken rib, fractures in several vertebrae and deep cuts to a finger, and underwent surgery on Saturday, her daughter told The Associated Press.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the beating "a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards" and demanded that Israel prosecute and jail the assailants.

The violence came during the annual Palestinian olive harvest, which has seen a sharp rise in settler attacks. At least four Palestinians have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest began earlier this month, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The United Nations said Friday that more than 200 settler attacks targeting Palestinian olive harvesters had been recorded this season, surpassing the total for the entire 2025 harvest.

The incidents came less than two weeks before closely contested Israeli elections scheduled for October 27, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to shore up support from his pro-settlement right-wing base.

(With input from agencies)

Read more: Israeli settlers attack Palestinians, European diplomats in West Bank