ReutersA delegation of European diplomats has been attacked by masked Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Belgium condemned the assault on its consul general and the other envoys and called for Israel to bring those responsible to justice.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also condemned what they called “the severe act of violence” and said they were investigating.
But the office of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast doubt on what happened and suggested it was part of a “coordinated campaign to smear Israel”.
The diplomats – from Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church – had come to the largely Christian village of Taybeh near Ramallah.
They were there to assess the situation on the ground after almost near daily attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians trying to bring in their olive harvest.
Video footage from the scene showed masked settlers confronting the convoy. Reports suggest stones were thrown.
The Belgian authorities said a car from its consulate had a window smashed and a French mayor was assaulted. Video showed a man wearing a French tricolor sash slumped beside a vehicle.
Belgium’s foreign minister Maxime Prevot condemned the attack and said Israel had a responsibility to bring those responsible to justice.
“Palestinians face this violence every day. Settlers also target journalists reporting on it and diplomats. Harvesting olives, reporting the news or carrying out diplomatic duties should never put anyone at risk of attack,” he said.
“As the occupying power, Israeli authorities must protect Palestinians, ensure the safety of diplomats and journalists, and bring those responsible to justice.
“Impunity for violent settlers must end. Belgium will continue to press for EU sanctions against those responsible for this violence and those who support them.”
Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, said he strongly condemned the violence by what he called “Israeli rioters”. He said the foreign ministry was in contact with the ambassadors of the countries involved.
But he added: “Without detracting from the severity of the incident, it is unfortunate that the visit was not coordinated with the IDF in advance. Such coordination could have helped safeguard the visitors’ security.”
The IDF said they “strongly condemn the severe act of violence that took place in the area of Taybeh, during which diplomatic representatives were attacked by Israeli rioters.”
“According to a preliminary inquiry, no IDF soldiers were present at the scene at the time of the attack,” they added.
ReutersBut Netanyahu’s office urged “caution before drawing conclusions” from reports about the attack.
It said the images on social media “do not establish the complete sequence of events or individual responsibility”.
A statement continued: “Those circumstances remain under investigation. Israeli police and forensic investigators have launched an investigation to establish the facts and identify those responsible.”
It added that “these reports come amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the annual olive harvest, relying on sensational headlines before the full facts emerge”.
Netanyahu’s office named the injured French official as Bernard Baudoux. The left-wing mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France told the AFP news agency the attack showed a tolerance by Israel’s right-wing government for settler violence.
The mayor said the settlers kicked him and beat him with iron bars, throwing him to the ground.
“It’s the gratuitous nature of the violence that stuns me,” he said. “They arrived completely enraged.”
“The whole world needs to know what’s happening there. For me, I’ll go back to my country and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here,” he said.
