Settlers Attack European Diplomatic Delegation in Taybeh, Injure French Mayor

According to witnesses and footage, approximately seven masked assailants armed with clubs and stones pursued the visitors on ATVs, threatening to kill them. The attackers shattered a window of a Belgian consulate vehicle and violently assaulted Bernard Baudoux, a French mayor, throwing him to the ground. Activists reported that their real-time calls to the military went unanswered, while a senior police official later criticized the military's insufficient presence in known friction points. The IDF stated that a civilian report of the incident had been misdirected to the wrong hotline.

The incident has sparked a major diplomatic storm. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, the IDF, and the police condemned the violence, though Sa'ar and the military noted that the diplomats' visit had not been coordinated in advance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office urged caution, questioning the reports and suggesting they could be part of a smear campaign against Israel. Meanwhile, senior Israeli ambassadors warned that the attack is a strategic disaster that could accelerate European Union sanctions against Israel. The Israel Police and the Shin Bet have launched an investigation to locate the diplomats and identify the perpetrators.