Diaspora & WorldTaybeh
Settlers attack European diplomats' convoy in Taybeh and beat a French mayor
The group had come to help Palestinian farmers with the olive harvest. Belgium and France demanded accountability; Netanyahu said the visit should have been coordinated with the army.
Masked settlers attacked a convoy carrying Belgian, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives in the Christian village of Taybeh, beating 78-year-old French mayor Bernard Baudoux with iron bars.
Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, was kicked and struck but not hospitalised. A local priest said one person needed stitches and an older woman was also beaten, France 24 reported.
France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, called the attack appalling and said Israel must urgently halt the violence. Belgium's Maxime Prévot said a Belgian vehicle was damaged.
Netanyahu's office urged caution before drawing conclusions and he later called the episode a smear against settlers. Israel's foreign ministry condemned the incident and police opened an investigation.
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot described the violence as Jewish terrorism under the auspices of the government.
Contextlayer 1
The attack came a day after settlers beat Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine in Abu Falah, and earlier in October AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh had several ribs fractured. France 24 noted Britain is leading economic sanctions over West Bank violence.
Source: France 24
Numberslayer 2
Source: PBS NewsHour / AP
Voiceslayer 3
I was struck with metal bars and kicked before being thrown to the ground.Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries, France · PBS NewsHour / AP
a handful of criminals is burning up the last shreds of legitimacy left to the state of IsraelGadi Eisenkot, Israeli opposition leader · PBS NewsHour / AP
Sources
- France 24, 17 Oct 2026
- PBS NewsHour / AP, 17 Oct 2026
Every figure and quote above links to where it was published. Something wrong? Corrections.
