Israeli settlers attack European diplomats during West Bank olive harvest

Key Points:

• Israeli settlers attacked a delegation of European diplomats, including Belgium’s consul general and a French mayor, near the Palestinian village of Taybeh in the occupied West Bank while they were visiting Palestinian olive harvesters.
• The attack involved stone-throwing and vehicle damage, prompting an Israeli police investigation and condemnation from Belgium; the incident follows a similar assault on a US journalist the previous day.
• Multiple settler attacks and Israeli military actions across the West Bank on the same day injured Palestinians, disrupted olive harvests, and caused property damage, with settlers increasingly emboldened and publicly advertising attacks on social media.
• A religious edict by Rabbi Dov Lior justifies Jewish harvesting of olives in contested areas to assert land ownership, reflecting the ideological backing of settler violence amid political tolerance from Israeli authorities.
• Observers note that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other politicians downplay settler violence and take little concrete action to stop it, viewing the attacks as politically expedient ahead of upcoming elections.