Settlers assault European diplomats, Palestinian farmers in West Bank harvest attacks
Masked Israeli settlers assaulted a delegation of European diplomats visiting Palestinian olive harvesters near Taybeh village in the occupied West Bank on October 17, 2026.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said those targeted included Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives. He said the settlers assaulted a French mayor in the group and damaged a Belgian vehicle, in an account detailed in an October 18 timeline. Al Jazeera
The French mayor, Bernard Baudoux, told AFP the attack suggests tolerance on the part of the Israeli government towards settler violence. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel to arrest the extremist settlers who violently assaulted Baudoux and bring them to justice. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described reports of the attack on Europeans as alleged and requiring compelling evidence, despite acknowledging published footage exists.
The European Union condemned settler attacks on European diplomats and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and called for accountability and protection during the olive harvest season. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States wants Israel to 'crack down' on settler violence in the West Bank. Reuters
The assault on the diplomats was part of a series of attacks tied to the annual olive harvest. Palestinians and European diplomats were attacked together while participating in the harvest, according to accounts of the Taybeh incident. AP
A day earlier, on October 16, Palestinian olive farmers and 64-year-old American journalist Heidi Levine, a Washington Post freelancer, were attacked by settlers. Settlers set fire to olive trees, threw rocks at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on a village harvest, and burned trees and injured the journalist. Dozens of militant Israeli settlers clad in black with masked faces targeted Palestinians, and one settler pointed a gun amid clashes with Palestinians harvesting olives in Abu Falah near Ramallah.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages across the occupied West Bank, setting fire to cars and trees and beating residents. PBS Video published by the BBC showed settlers attacking Palestinian farmers and setting fire to olive trees.
On October 17, settlers injured six Palestinians as Israeli forces arrested farmers during attacks across the occupied West Bank. In Deir Ammar, west of Ramallah, Israeli forces opened fire on farmers picking olives, forcing them to leave their land.
At least 19 settler attacks were recorded across the West Bank on Friday, October 9, while Israeli forces separately detained 16 Palestinians. Israeli settlers were involved in at least 170 attacks on Palestinians since September 27, 2026. A Palestinian was killed in an Israeli settler attack during the olive harvest, officials said in early October. More than 45,000 trees, including more than 26,000 olive trees, were cut down or damaged across the West Bank during the first half of 2026.
The New York Times reported that the annual olive harvest for Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank has become a yearly flashpoint for rising tensions. The recent escalation coincided with the harvest season and came weeks before Israel heads to the polls on October 27.
