Earlier this week, Israeli settlers in West Bank villages launched a series of violent incidents, according to Yesh Din, a local human rights group. The attacks have escalated, leaving a trail of shattered property and frightened residents.
On Saturday, masked settlers assaulted Belgian, French, and Polish diplomats, a French mayor, and Palestinian civilians near Taybeh, while a U.S. photojournalist was injured covering an olive harvest in Salfit. The assault left the journalist with serious injuries and required immediate hospitalization.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and the IDF blamed "Israeli rioters" for the violence, whereas Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the diplomats had entered a sensitive area without prior coordination with the army. Netanyahu also called the photojournalist's assault "unclear", a stance that has drawn sharp criticism from the European Union.
The U.S. visit unfolds as President Donald Trump publicly endorses Netanyahu for the upcoming October 27 election, a stance that has sparked condemnation from France, which urged Israeli authorities to arrest the attackers. Trump has opposed settlement expansion this year, yet has not applied pressure on Netanyahu’s right‑wing government to alter its policies.
In Salfit, a Palestinian farmer named Khalid Mohammed fled after ten masked settlers hurled rocks at his olive orchard. The farmers scattered into the hills, and Israeli border police responded with tear gas, forcing many to seek shelter in nearby villages.
No arrests have yet been announced. Authorities plan to hold a court hearing on the alleged perpetrators on November 5, as international scrutiny intensifies.