US Diplomats Visit Palestinian Town After Settler Attacks
Translated & summarized from Panet by baba
U.S. diplomats visited the West Bank town of Taybeh on Sunday after Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats and an American photojournalist. The delegation met with local Christian leaders, while U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee attended a settler conference. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adopted a cautious stance on the attacks, while Israeli human rights groups report a significant rise in settler violence.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- U.S. diplomats visited Taybeh, West Bank, following settler attacks on foreign nationals.
- Masked Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats and a French mayor near Taybeh on Saturday.
- Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was assaulted while covering Palestinian olive harvesting.
- U.S. President Trump endorsed Prime Minister Netanyahu amid rising settler violence.
- Israeli officials blamed "rioters" while Netanyahu cited lack of coordination.
- Israeli rights group Yesh Din reported 170 settler attacks on Palestinians since September 27.
U.S. diplomats visited a Christian Palestinian town in the West Bank on Sunday following recent attacks by Israeli settlers against European diplomats and an American photojournalist. The delegation, including Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barnes and U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Brian Birch, visited the Latin Monastery and was expected to meet with members of the local Christian community in Taybeh. On Saturday, masked Israeli settlers attacked Belgian, French, and Polish diplomats, along with a French mayor and Palestinian civilians, near Taybeh. The previous day, Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine was hospitalized after being assaulted while covering Palestinian olive harvesting near another West Bank village.
The visit occurred as U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the upcoming Israeli elections. Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee attended a settler conference in the West Bank on Sunday. Huckabee had previously called for the "perpetrators" of the attack on Levine, an American citizen, to be jailed.
While the U.S. has expressed opposition to settlement expansion, the Trump administration has exerted little pressure on Netanyahu's pro-settlement government. The United Nations and most of the world consider settlements illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this, referring to the territories as "disputed" rather than "occupied."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and the IDF blamed "Israeli rioters" for the attack on the diplomats. Netanyahu, however, adopted a more cautious stance, stating the diplomats entered a "sensitive area" without coordinating with the army and that the circumstances of Levine's assault were "unclear." France urged Israeli authorities to arrest those responsible for the attacks and end the violence, but no arrests had been announced by Sunday.
Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din reported a significant increase in settler attacks against Palestinians, with at least 170 incidents recorded since September 27. These attacks have also targeted journalists, activists, and foreign observers, with Israeli settlers rarely facing prosecution.
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