Convoy attacked in Taybeh

On Saturday, 17 October, masked settlers surrounded a convoy of diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland in Taybeh, a village east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, during the olive harvest. Army Radio, citing local witnesses, said seven masked settlers circled one vehicle, demanded identity documents and smashed a window of a car belonging to the Belgian consulate. Sources cited by the Palestinian news agency WAFA said the attackers carried batons, and videos shared online show one diplomat thrown to the ground. The French mayor involved, Bernand Baudoux, is a 78-year-old left-wing mayor from northern France, and he appears lying beside a car in a video shared by one of the diplomats. Two diplomats and a local witness confirmed his identity to AFP, and one diplomat said he was not in danger of his life.

Photographer hurt in settler violence

Heidi Levine, a Washington Post photographer, was documenting the Palestinian olive harvest when she was attacked by settlers. Her daughter told the Associated Press that a finger on Levine's left hand was almost completely severed, that a deep cut reached the bone and exposed a tendon, and that the finger required surgery. The daughter also said Levine suffered a fractured rib, fractures in several vertebrae and numerous lacerations across her body. Reports published on 17 October said settlers had attacked several Palestinian villages the previous day, burning cars and trees and beating residents, Levine among them.

Israeli response

Israeli President Isaac Herzog telephoned Levine and apologized, according to a statement from his office, saying the conduct of the attackers did not represent Israeli citizens or the country's values. He urged security forces and law enforcement to investigate thoroughly, identify those responsible and bring them to justice. The Israeli army condemned what it called a serious act of violence and said the consulate's visit had not been coordinated with it, adding that such coordination is essential to prevent incidents of this kind. A preliminary check found no soldiers at the scene when the attack happened, and the army said all circumstances would be examined. Israeli police opened an investigation after receiving footage and informed the Foreign Ministry so it could locate the victims, take their statements and identify suspects.

Reactions from Washington and Brussels

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was deeply troubled by the images and urged Israel to intervene firmly against the violence, speaking at Joint Base Andrews near Washington. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee wrote on X that attacking a photographer was a despicable act of terrorism by masked cowards and called for the attackers to be prosecuted and jailed. Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot condemned the attack strongly and said Belgium would keep pressing the EU to sanction those responsible and those who back them. Prevot also linked the violence to Israel's settlement policy, which he called illegal, and said impunity for settlers must end. The sources do not report any arrests or charges so far.