EU diplomats say they were attacked by settlers in West Bank

A constabulary probe is underway aft European diplomats said they were assaulted by Israeli settlers portion visiting the occupied West Bank connected Saturday, authorities said. Meanwhile, the premier minister's bureau urged caution earlier "drawing conclusions," and the reports come  "amid concerns astir a coordinated run to smear Israel." 

Israeli constabulary said they launched the probe pursuing footage circulating online, which appears to amusement respective diplomats being attacked adjacent the colony of Taybeh. The connection said efforts were underway to find the victims and place the suspects "with the purpose of bringing them to justice."

"The Israel Police condemns unit of immoderate benignant and volition prosecute these investigations to their afloat extent, ensuring that everyone progressive successful specified incidents is brought to justice," the connection said.

Israel's subject condemned the "severe enactment of violence" during which diplomatic representatives were "attacked by Israeli rioters." It said the diplomats' sojourn had not been coordinated with them and that nary soldiers were astatine the scene.

Israeli nationalist broadcaster Kan reported that the diplomats included representatives from France, Belgium and Poland.

Netanyahu alleges reports travel amid concerns of a smear run against Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office condemned the reports of the attacks connected the diplomats and urged caution against drafting conclusions, arsenic it tried to formed uncertainty implicit the circumstances surrounding the attack.

"Any unit against diplomats is unacceptable," a connection said Saturday. "The much superior the accusation, the greater the request for compelling evidence."

The premier minister's bureau said the diplomatic delegation "entered a delicate country with a past of confrontations" without anterior coordination with the Israeli military. It said specified coordination is "essential to protecting visiting diplomats and preventing violence."

In the statement, the premier minister's bureau said the footage circulating online shows masked individuals confronting a diplomatic vehicle. He said images unsocial bash not found the "complete series of events oregon idiosyncratic responsibility."

"These reports travel amid concerns astir a coordinated run to smear Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria during the yearly olive harvest, relying connected sensational headlines earlier the afloat facts emerge," the premier minister's bureau said. "We whitethorn spot further allegations successful the coming days. By the clip the grounds is afloat examined, the reputational harm from premature conclusions whitethorn already beryllium done."

Diplomats item attack, telephone connected Israel to support Palestinians

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot claimed connected social media that Israeli settlers targeted Belgium's consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives. CBS News has reached retired to Belgium's consul wide successful Jerusalem and to Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"A French politician was assaulted and a Belgian conveyance damaged. Our squad is safe," Prevot wrote connected X.

He linked the onslaught to what helium called Israel's "illegal colony policy" and called connected Israeli authorities to support Palestinians arsenic the "occupying power."

"Harvesting olives, reporting the quality oregon carrying retired diplomatic duties should ne'er enactment anyone astatine hazard of attack," helium said.

Bernard Baudoux, politician of the bluish French municipality of Aulnoye-Aymeries, told the Agence France-Presse that helium was attacked during a goodwill sojourn to Taybeh.

"The full satellite needs to cognize what's happening there," helium said. "For me, I'll spell backmost to my state and everything volition beryllium fine. Those who proceed to endure the astir are those who are here."

Baudoux said helium did not endure superior injuries. He said the attackers kicked him and bushed him with robust bars, and threw him to the ground.

"It's the gratuitous quality of the unit that stuns me," helium said. "They arrived wholly enraged."

Netanyahu's office, successful its statement, said Baudoux antecedently raised the Palestinian emblem implicit the Aulnoye-Aymeries municipal building, "prompting French authorities to bid its removal."

Poland's overseas ministry confirmed the incidental connected societal media, saying successful a connection that its representatives were unharmed and that based connected accusation presently available, "there is nary denotation that they were specifically targeted."

They added: "According to preliminary information, Israeli settlers whitethorn person been liable for the incident."

"We are profoundly outraged by this incidental and condemn it successful the strongest imaginable terms," the connection connected X said. "Poland has consistently opposed unit perpetrated by Israeli settlers successful the occupied West Bank. Attacks against members of the diplomatic corps are perfectly unacceptable."

"We stay successful adjacent interaction with our partners to found the afloat circumstances of the incident," the connection said.

CBS News has reached retired to Poland's overseas ministry for comment.

Settler unit has surged successful West Bank

Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians successful the West Bank has surged successful caller years, peculiarly aft the constitution of Israel's existent hard-right authorities successful precocious 2022, according to statistic released by the United Nations humanitarian office.

Activists accidental authorities bash small to halt it, peculiarly during this year's yearly olive harvest.

Netanyahu, successful the past, has condemned the unit and vowed a crackdown against what helium says is simply a tiny radical of respective 100 wayward youths liable for attacks connected Palestinians.

Human rights groups and critics accidental the authorities is complicit successful the attacks and that Netanyahu's condemnation appears to beryllium posturing since the Israeli subject often intervenes on the settlers' side and the perpetrators are seldom prosecuted.

Saturday's onslaught follows a akin incidental connected Friday during which respective radical were earnestly injured, including a freelance American photojournalist moving with The Washington Post.

On Saturday, Heidi Levine, the seasoned American writer injured successful the attack, was undergoing country connected her finger, which was astir detached from her hand, her girl told the Associated Press.

Ashley Milner said Levine besides has a breached rib and aggregate breached vertebrae, arsenic good arsenic lacerations.

Israel's constabulary and subject said they had opened investigations into Friday's incident.

Dov Lieber contributed to this report.

In:

• Israel
• West Bank