Israeli settlers attack European diplomats, beat French mayor in West Bank

A group of masked settlers attacked European diplomats in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, beating a visiting French mayor as he stood among Palestinian olive farmers. The assault marked the second consecutive day of high-profile violence against international figures, following an attack on an American photographer the day before.

Bernard Baudoux, 78, the mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, had traveled to the West Bank alongside the top diplomatic representatives from France and Belgium, along with Polish officials. He was wearing a French sash when settlers surrounded him, shouting insults about France, kicking him, and striking him repeatedly with iron bars. Witnesses said he collapsed beside a vehicle after the attack, though he did not require hospitalization. Baudoux later told Agence France-Presse that he believed the violence reflected tacit approval from the Israeli government. "The whole world needs to know what's happening," he 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 had come to Taybeh, a Christian town in the West Bank, to sign a goodwill agreement with his local pastor from France. His presence at the olive harvest was meant as a symbolic gesture of solidarity—olives hold deep cultural significance for Palestinians. But the harvest itself had already become a flashpoint. Bashar Fawadleh, a priest in Taybeh, said settlers had attacked the gathering before turning on Baudoux. During the same incident, an older Palestinian woman in her 70s was beaten and insulted, and another person was struck in the head badly enough to require stitches. Settlers have been systematically disrupting the annual harvest for months, stealing land, property, and olives while issuing calls to stop Palestinian harvesting altogether.

The attack on Baudoux came just hours after settlers beat an American photographer working for The Washington Post. The photographer was in moderate condition on Saturday after suffering broken vertebrae. Earlier in October, settlers had also attacked AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh while he was covering harvest tensions, fracturing several of his ribs and stealing his camera. According to Yesh Din, an Israeli settlements monitoring group, there have been at least 170 settler attacks since late September, around the start of the annual olive harvest season.

The French foreign ministry demanded that Israel "urgently halt criminal violence" and arrest those responsible for attacking Baudoux. Belgium's foreign minister issued a similar statement. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called the beating "a despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards" and demanded prosecution and imprisonment of the assailants. Israel's foreign ministry condemned the attack on the diplomats, and Israeli police promised an investigation. The military confirmed the assault and called it a "severe act of violence."

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is fighting for reelection on October 27 and has been courting support from the far-right pro-settlement faction, framed the violence differently. He alleged a "smear" campaign against settlers rather than addressing the pattern of attacks. His main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, seized on the violence to criticize Netanyahu directly. "The attacks are Jewish terrorism, under the auspices of the Israeli government," Eisenkot said, arguing that the violence was "burning away the little legitimacy the State of Israel still possesses."

Israeli president Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, called the American photographer in the hospital on Saturday to say the attack was "outrageous and shocking" and weighed on his conscience. Israel Gantz, head of an umbrella settler group, blamed recent incidents on "groups of provocateurs and terrorists" but implicitly acknowledged some Israelis' responsibility, saying the violence harmed the settlers' cause.

The West Bank violence has drawn international attention and consequences. Britain has spearheaded economic sanctions against Israel, which responded by closing its British consulate in Jerusalem. Netanyahu's government has accelerated approval of West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law. The cycle of violence, diplomatic pressure, and election-year politics shows no sign of slowing as the October 27 vote approaches.