Belgian Diplomats Attacked in West Bank, Belgium Demands EU Sanctions

Diplomats from France, Belgium, and Poland were attacked by masked individuals on Saturday during a visit to an olive harvest near the village of Taybeh in the Benjamin region. The attack resulted in damage to the Belgian consulate's vehicle and the physical assault of a French mayor, according to participants. In response, Belgium announced it would continue to push for European Union sanctions against those responsible for the violence.

A group of masked assailants armed with clubs and stones approached the vehicles carrying the diplomats and Israeli activists, pursuing them on ATVs. The mayor of Ollainville-Amrises, France, reportedly sustained injuries. A window on the Belgian consulate vehicle was shattered. Witnesses described approximately seven masked assailants who also targeted Palestinian olive pickers.

Amit Orpali, an activist with the "Torat Tzedek" organization present at the scene, stated that attempts to contact the army were unsuccessful. "We updated the army in real-time, but they didn't arrive or respond," Orpali said, adding that the attackers threatened to kill them. Orpali and another activist, Roni Federman, reported arriving after receiving a tip about an attack on a nearby olive grove. They stated that seven masked individuals, whom they did not recognize from the nearby settlement, emerged and attacked them.

Belgian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot strongly condemned the attack, noting that Palestinians and Catholic representatives were also harmed. He stated that Belgium would continue to press the EU for sanctions against the perpetrators and their supporters, criticizing Israel's settlement policy. The IDF confirmed the incident as a severe act of violence and stated that military forces were securing the scene for police and forensic investigators. However, the IDF clarified that the visit was not coordinated in advance and that initial reports indicate no forces were present at the time of the attack. The IDF noted that the report was directed to a divisional operations room meant for security personnel, not civilians, and that the entire incident would be investigated.

District police have opened an investigation to identify those involved and gather testimonies. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also condemned the violence, stating that the Foreign Ministry is cooperating with the relevant ambassadors to aid the investigation. He expressed regret that the visit was not coordinated with the IDF, suggesting coordination could have enhanced security. Opposition figures also reacted sharply, with Gadi Eisenkot calling it "Jewish terrorism under the auspices of the Israeli government" and Yair Golan urging the use of administrative detention against dangerous Jewish activists.

The attack occurred a day after photojournalist Heidi Levine, working for The Washington Post, was assaulted near Ramallah. Levine underwent surgery for a nearly severed finger. In response to her injury, hundreds of former senior security officials sent a letter of apology to Levine, protesting the violence in the West Bank and calling for a policy change, with signatories including former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, and former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon.