A group of European officials touring the West Bank came under attack on Saturday, when stone-throwing settlers targeted their delegation in the Palestinian town of Taybeh, leaving several people hurt and smashing a diplomatic vehicle's window.
The delegation — including the French and Belgian consuls, a Polish representative, and Christian Ravain, mayor of the French town of Saint-Pierre — had just attended a ceremony formalising a twinning agreement between Taybeh and Saint-Pierre. According to Taybeh's mayor, Suleiman Khourieh, the attackers struck in the western part of the town and also targeted local Palestinians who were picking olives. A vehicle belonging to the Belgian contingent had a window shattered, and footage broadcast by Israeli Army Radio showed Bernard Boudot, the mayor of Aulnoy-lez-Valenciennes in northern France, lying on the ground beside a damaged diplomatic car.
Israeli media, citing the military, said the incident was "under review" and that no arrests had been made at the time of reporting. Khourieh called the assault a violation of diplomatic and humanitarian work, framing it as part of broader pressure on Palestinian farmers.
The timing is significant: the olive harvest began in early October and is a crucial income source for thousands of Palestinian families, yet it is also the period when settler violence against farmers and their land typically intensifies. For anyone travelling in or around the occupied West Bank, the episode underlines a real and current security risk in the region, even for official visitors. Taybeh itself is a historically Christian village known for its olive groves and its local brewery, and it has often been presented as a quieter stop on West Bank itineraries — a reputation this incident complicates. Travellers with plans in the area should monitor government travel advisories closely, as several European foreign ministries already warn against non-essential travel to parts of the West Bank.
Anadolu Agency via Daily Sabah Travel
