Archbishop Vincent Dollmann of Cambrai was among those threatened when Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers and a visiting European delegation during an olive harvest in the predominantly Christian West Bank town of Taybeh.
The French archbishop was with a delegation that included European diplomats and Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, when seven masked settlers approached the group on Oct. 17, some carrying clubs.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Baudoux, 78, was kicked and struck with iron bars while joining Palestinian farmers in the harvest as a gesture of solidarity.
“I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government,” Baudoux told AFP after the attack.
“The whole world needs to know what’s happening,” he said.
“For me, I’ll go back to my country, and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here.”
Baudoux had traveled to Taybeh with his parish priest to sign a goodwill agreement with the Palestinian Christian town. French and Belgian representatives in Jerusalem and Polish diplomats were also present.
Before confronting the delegation, settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives near Taybeh.
Father Bashar Fawadleh, a priest in the town, told AFP that one person suffered a head injury requiring stitches and an elderly woman was also assaulted.
“One person was hit in the head and needed stitches. They also beat up an older lady in her 70s after insulting her,” Fawadleh said.
The Guardian reported that settlers also stole harvested olives and smashed a window of an armored vehicle belonging to the Belgian mission.
Fawadleh said residents of Taybeh had faced settler violence for years, but foreign diplomats had not previously been targeted in the town.
“What happened today is not an isolated incident. It represents a deeply disturbing escalation in settler violence,” he told The Guardian.
The attack took place during the annual Palestinian olive harvest, which carries economic and cultural importance for communities across the occupied West Bank.
Israeli rights group Yesh Din said more than 170 settler attacks had been recorded since Sept. 27. Palestinian authorities said at least four people had been killed, more than 100 injured and thousands of trees damaged since the harvest season began.
The European Union on Oct. 18 condemned the attack and called for accountability.
“The EU strongly condemns the latest attacks by violent settlers in the West Bank, including on European diplomats,” its foreign service said.
The bloc also called for “full accountability as well as effective measures to prevent continued acts of violence and violent harassment against Palestinians, including during the ongoing olive harvest season, as well as against journalists.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israel to “urgently halt criminal violence” and arrest those responsible for the attack on Baudoux.
The Taybeh incident came a day after Israeli settlers assaulted American photojournalist Heidi Levine while she was covering Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in Abu Falah.
Levine, who works for The Washington Post, suffered broken vertebrae and later underwent surgery.
AFP photographer Jaafar Ashtiyeh was also attacked earlier in October while covering tensions during the olive harvest. He suffered several broken ribs and had his camera taken.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “very disturbed” by the violence and wanted Israel to take stronger action against settler attacks.
Israel’s foreign ministry condemned the attack on the diplomatic delegation, while police said an investigation had been opened.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said diplomatic visits to the occupied West Bank should be coordinated with the military for security reasons.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged that criticism surrounding recent settler attacks was part of a campaign to damage Israel’s reputation and said the diplomats should have coordinated their movements with the Israeli military.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. About 500,000 Israelis live in settlements there alongside roughly three million Palestinians.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law.
