French mayor beaten as settlers attack European diplomats near Taybeh

Update, 17 October, 23:08 Israel time

The diplomats came from France, Belgium and Poland, and a French mayor was among those assaulted. Ynet reported that the group had come to join the olive harvest in Taybeh, which it describes as a Christian village. According to Ynet, masked men carrying clubs chased them on all-terrain vehicles, a mayor wearing a French flag sash was filmed lying on the ground, and a Belgian consulate car had its windows smashed. Ynet also reported that Belgium is calling for European sanctions.

The Times of Israel named the mayor as Bernard Baudoux of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France and reported that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel to arrest and prosecute those responsible. Poland said it expects Israel to bring the perpetrators to trial and prevent further incidents, Ynet reported.

One diplomat who was present told Ynet the attackers descended from the hills holding crowbars, surrounded the cars and kicked the mayor in the head.

Israeli officials have not spoken with one voice. Ynet reported that President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the attack, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office questioned whether it happened as described. Amit Segal summarised the prime minister's position as saying there is no evidence the attackers were Jewish rioters, which the army has stated. The Am Yisrael party led by Ofer Winter also condemned the violence, N12 reported.

The story as first reported

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has condemned an assault on diplomatic representatives in the area of Taybeh, a village in the West Bank, and attributed the attack to Israeli rioters. In a statement from the IDF spokesperson, the army described the incident as a severe act of violence and said police and forensic investigators were entering the area under military escort to gather evidence and take testimony for an investigation that has been opened.

The army also said the visit by the consulate involved had not been coordinated with it. According to the Hebrew version of the statement carried by Abu Ali Express, the IDF added that such coordination matters for preventing incidents of this kind, and that an initial inquiry found no troops were present at the spot when the attack took place.

What the army says happened

The IDF statement, published on the army's Telegram channel and on its X account, says the diplomats were attacked by Israeli rioters. It does not name the individuals targeted, the country they represent or the consulate that organised the visit.

The fuller Hebrew text adds two points not present in the truncated English posts. First, the preliminary army inquiry concluded that no forces were at the location at the moment of the assault. Second, a report about the attack was sent to an account belonging to the brigade's operations room, which the army said is meant to receive reports only from security personnel and not from members of the public. The statement does not say when that report arrived or what was done with it.

Political commentator Amit Segal, in a brief news roundup, described those attacked as European diplomats and wrote that the army had determined the perpetrators were Jewish rioters. He also noted that police had opened an investigation.

Where Taybeh is and who is responsible

Taybeh is a Palestinian village in the West Bank. The Hebrew version of the IDF statement places it within the area of the Binyamin Brigade, the army formation responsible for security in the region north of Jerusalem around Ramallah.

The police investigators mentioned in the statement come from the Judea and Samaria District. Judea and Samaria is the term used by the Israeli government for the West Bank, and the district is the branch of the Israel Police that handles criminal matters involving Israelis there. Because the West Bank is under military control, police entering Palestinian areas typically do so with an army escort, which is what the statement describes.

The question of coordination

Foreign diplomats, including staff of consulates based in Jerusalem, regularly travel in the West Bank. The IDF's point is that when such visits are arranged with the army in advance, troops can be positioned to secure them. By stating that this tour was not coordinated, the army is explaining why no soldiers were on hand, while also saying in the same statement that it condemns the attackers and supports the police investigation.

The Hebrew term for the operations room referred to in the statement is a hamal, the command and control centre that receives incoming reports and dispatches forces. The army's remark that the brigade's account is intended for security personnel suggests the warning came from someone outside that circle, though the statement does not say who sent it.

Wider context

Attacks on Palestinians and their property by Israeli extremists in the West Bank are a recurring concern for the Israeli security establishment and for foreign governments. An assault on accredited diplomats is a different category of incident, since it involves representatives of foreign states, and the IDF chose to describe it in unusually direct terms as a severe act of violence by Israeli rioters.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports names the diplomats, says how many were present or identifies which consulate arranged the visit. Only Amit Segal describes them as European; the IDF statement refers only to diplomatic representatives. The reports do not say whether anyone was injured, whether vehicles or property were damaged, or how many attackers took part. No arrests are mentioned. The statements also do not indicate whether any foreign government has responded, or what the purpose of the consulate's tour was. The IDF's account of the operations room report and the absence of troops comes from the army's own preliminary inquiry and has not been addressed by any other party in the material available.