The Palestinian Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to take concrete steps after Israeli occupiers attacked a foreign diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank. The ministry described the assault as evidence of organized settler terrorism.
The delegation included the French and Belgian consuls, a Polish representative, and Catholic Church officials. The group was targeted near the town of Taybeh, east of Ramallah.
The ministry stated that the incident involved an assault on a French mayor and damage to a Belgian consular vehicle. It accused the Israeli government of protecting the attackers and fostering a climate of impunity.
The Palestinian authority urged global actors to protect both Palestinians and foreign representatives and to hold those responsible accountable.
Footage broadcast by Israeli media showed masked individuals carrying sticks and stones while threatening the occupants of the delegation vehicles. One of the cars sustained a shattered window.
According to Israeli army radio, seven masked attackers arrived in off-road vehicles. They surrounded a diplomatic car, demanded identification from the occupants, and smashed the window of the Belgian consular vehicle.
The radio station reported that Israeli troops and police failed to arrive at the scene for three hours. This delay occurred despite authorities receiving the location of the delegation and video footage within minutes of the confrontation.
The Israeli military described the event as a serious violent incident. However, the military claimed that the delegation had not coordinated its visit in advance and that no troops were stationed near the location at the time.
Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh condemned the assault. He called the incident an example of the violence that Palestinians face daily and demanded a firm international response.
Attacks by Israeli occupiers have intensified during the olive harvest season, which began earlier this month. The Palestinian Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported 40 attacks and violations by Israeli forces and occupiers against farmers, farmland, and olive crops on Saturday.
