Ramallah, MINA – Israeli settlers attacked European diplomats in the lands of al-Tayba town, northeast of Ramallah, on Saturday evening, damaging diplomatic vehicles, including one belonging to the Belgian Consulate, during the ongoing olive harvest season.
According to field reports, the attack targeted diplomats from France, Belgium, and Poland. One of the consuls was reportedly thrown to the ground during the assault.
A reporter for Israeli army radio said masked settlers attacked the vehicles and demanded that the diplomats and their passengers show their identification documents. The radio described the incident as a serious diplomatic incident, citing eyewitness accounts and video recordings it said it had obtained.
One diplomatic vehicle was pelted with stones, causing its windows to shatter, according to the report.
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The attack comes amid escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season in the occupied West Bank.
On Friday, Reuters cited the Israeli rights organization Yesh Din as documenting at least 170 settler attacks since September 27, coinciding with the beginning of the harvest season.
Several West Bank villages also witnessed attacks on Friday, including the burning of vehicles and trees and the beating of residents and a foreign journalist. Such incidents have raised concerns about Palestinian farmers’ ability to reach their agricultural lands and harvest their crops safely.
In al-Tayba, settlers had reportedly entered agricultural lands east and south of the town on October 7 and picked olives from trees belonging to Palestinians. A video report published by Reuters Connect documented a local farmer describing the destruction of mature olive trees and the theft of part of his harvest.
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The latest incident marks a further escalation in the violence surrounding the olive harvest, with the reported assault extending beyond Palestinian farmers to diplomats representing European countries and their vehicles.
Settler attacks during the harvest season have included assaults on farmers, damage to agricultural property, and the theft of crops. These incidents threaten the livelihoods of Palestinian families who depend on olives and olive oil for income.
The attack on European diplomats has also raised concerns about the safety of foreign officials visiting Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank. Calls for accountability and effective measures to protect civilians and diplomatic personnel continue amid reports of recurring settler violence.[]
Mi’raj News Agency MINA)
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