Settlers kick French mayor, smash diplomat car window in West Bank

Masked settlers who attacked a European delegation visiting the olive harvest in Taybeh near Ramallah kicked 78-year-old French mayor Bernard Baudoux. Belgium has called for sanctions.

The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskOctober 17, 2026, 08:01 PMUpdated: October 17, 2026, 08:12 PM

Settlers kick French mayor, smash diplomat car window in West Bank

A European delegation visiting the olive harvest in the village of Taybeh near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank came under attack by masked Israeli settlers on Saturday. Bernard Baudoux, the 78-year-old leftist mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, was kicked during the assault.

Witnesses and diplomats told AFP the settlers first hurled aggressive remarks at the group and then attacked Baudoux. Footage showed him slumped beside a car wearing his tricolor mayoral sash. He was reported hurt but not hospitalized.

Belgian consulate car window smashed

French mayor Bernard Baudoux on the ground after the attack (video still)

The delegation included vehicles from the French, Belgian and Polish missions. According to testimonies cited by Israeli Army Radio, seven masked settlers on ATVs stopped the cars, demanded IDs and smashed the window of a Belgian consulate vehicle. Belgium’s foreign minister condemned the attack and vowed to push for sanctions.

The Israeli military condemned the “severe act of violence” but stressed the visit had not been coordinated with the army. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also condemned the violence while criticizing the consulates for not coordinating the trip. Police said “efforts are underway to locate the victims, collect testimonies, and identify the suspects.”

Rising attacks during the harvest

A day earlier, settlers seriously injured Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, and last week they beat an AFP photographer. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since the harvest season began.

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