Fastrack · EU and US Condemn Settler Attack on West Bank Diplomats

Masked Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats near the West Bank village of Taybeh on Saturday. The EU condemned the assault the next day.

Diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland joined Catholic Church representatives.
78-year-old French mayor Bernard Baudoux said attackers kicked and beat him.
Attackers smashed a window on a Belgian diplomatic vehicle.
Poland said its diplomats were unharmed and likely not specifically targeted.

Why it matters: The attack followed a Friday assault that badly injured US photojournalist Heidi Levine near Ramallah. Violence is disrupting a harvest that tens of thousands of Palestinian families rely on.

Nearly 200 harvest-linked settler attacks this year, per the UN humanitarian office.
185 such incidents were recorded during all of last season.

The story so far

2 steps · since Oct 16

Oct 16Israeli Settlers Attack Diplomats and Journalist in West Bank50 sources
Oct 18EU and US Condemn Settler Attack on West Bank DiplomatsYou are hereLatest

How 14 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

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Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 14 sources

14 sources · 21 articles · 50% Center coverage

Where they split: Israeli officials condemned the violence but questioned the delegation's lack of military coordination and the strength of video evidence, while European governments demanded arrests and accountability.

Center7 sources

Jerusalem Post1hWest Bank attacks on Washington Post journalist, diplomats may signal dangerous trend - analysis The Hill7hPhotographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu Times of Israel3hUS officials visit Palestinian village after settler attacks on diplomats Associated Press6hPhotographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu PBS NewsHour5hPhotographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu Reuters7hUS officials visit Palestinian village after settler attacks on diplomats WKBN Youngstown7hPhotographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu

Left coverage, 4 sources: The left sees the attack on diplomats as part of a growing wave of settler violence against Palestinian farmers that Israel has failed to stop.

Al Jazeera7hEU condemns Israeli settler attack on diplomats in occupied West Bank Los Angeles Times5hPhotographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu The Boston Globe3hUS officials condemn West Bank attacks as Netanyahu casts doubt on them The Independent6hWashington Post photographer attacked by settlers says she is insulted by Netanyahu

Right3 sources

Daily Mail15mUS condemns Israeli settlers for 'cowardly' attack on journalist Newsmax5hUS Officials Visit Palestinian Village After Settler Attacks on Diplomats The Washington Times7hPhotographer attacked by settlers in the West Bank feels insulted by Netanyahu

What’s next: Israeli police opened an investigation, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said. The EU expects full accountability and an end to settlement expansion.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israel to arrest those responsible.
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee demanded prosecutions over the attack on Levine.
Will Israeli police identify and charge the attackers in either incident?
Will European governments take steps beyond statements if no arrests follow?