Masked Settlers on ATVs Attack European Diplomats During West Bank Olive Harvest Visit | Israel Politics Post
Masked Settlers on ATVs Attack European Diplomats During West Bank Olive Harvest Visit
Beyond the attack on the diplomatic convoy, settlers fired on Palestinian olive harvesters in Deir Jarir and stabbed roughly 20 sheep to death in a separate raid, as the European Council warned against Israel's settlement expansion plans.
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By Israel Politics Post Staff·Published
Settler extremists seen carrying out attacks across the West Bank on October 17, 2026 · Source: Social media, via The Times of Israel
Masked settlers riding ATVs attacked a convoy of French, Belgian and Polish diplomats in the West Bank village of Taybeh on Saturday, demanding identification documents before smashing the vehicles' windows, The Times of Israel reported. The diplomats had been visiting the area to observe the olive harvest when roughly seven assailants confronted them.
The IDF called the incident a "severe act of violence" and noted that the diplomatic delegation had not coordinated the visit with military forces beforehand. Police opened an investigation, with officers entering the area under IDF escort to gather evidence and take testimony from those involved.
The attack on the diplomats was far from the only incident that day. Settlers also opened fire on Palestinian olive harvesters in the nearby village of Deir Jarir, forcing them to abandon their land, and in a separate raid on Kafr Malik, roughly 20 Palestinian-owned sheep were stabbed to death. The violence came a day after Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine underwent surgery for a nearly severed finger, a broken rib and multiple broken vertebrae after being beaten by settlers in the West Bank.
In response, the European Council urged Israel to reverse its West Bank settlement expansion plans and warned European businesses against taking part in the tender for the E1 settlement project, a flashpoint project that would further divide the West Bank from East Jerusalem.
