Belgium seeks EU sanctions after West Bank attack on diplomats

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said on Saturday that European diplomats were attacked in Taybeh, 5 kilometres northeast of Jerusalem, during a West Bank visit, Euronews reported on Oct. 17.

Prevot said he would press for further European Union sanctions, tying the incident to what he called Israel’s “illegal settlement policy,” as the UN recorded 178 olive-harvest-related settler attacks in 2025.

Prevot identified the assailants as masked Israeli settlers. He said Belgium’s consul general, French and Polish diplomats and Catholic representatives were targeted in the village.

“A French mayor was assaulted and a Belgian vehicle damaged. Our team is safe,” Prevot said.

Prevot said Israeli authorities, as the “occupying power,” must protect Palestinians. “Impunity for violent settlers must end.”

Israel’s military described Saturday’s incident as a “severe act of violence,” while saying the delegation had not coordinated the visit with the military and that no soldiers were present at the site.

Israeli police said they had opened an investigation. “The Israel Police condemns violence of any kind and will work to complete these investigations until everyone who took part in these cases is brought to justice,” the police said in a statement.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also condemned the violence on X. “I strongly condemn the severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters,” Saar said, adding that his ministry was in contact with ambassadors from the countries concerned.

The reported attack on the European delegation followed assaults on Palestinian farmers and others on Friday, when Israeli settlers attacked at least eight villages in the northern West Bank, according to Euronews.

The annual olive harvest has become a period of heightened risk for Palestinian farmers seeking access to their land. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least four people have been killed and more than 100 injured since this year’s harvest began.

The account did not report arrests or identify suspects beyond Prevot’s description of masked Israeli settlers. Israeli authorities’ statements cited by Euronews condemned the violence but did not address Prevot’s broader criticism of settlement policy.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces closely contested elections in less than two weeks, according to Euronews, with criticism focused on his government’s handling of security and its treatment of Palestinians.

Israel’s election is due within less than two weeks of the Oct. 17 Euronews report. The checkable outcome is the vote result and whether Netanyahu remains positioned to form or lead a government.

Belgium’s sanctions push has no date in the Euronews report. The next checkable step is whether Prevot formally advances further EU measures after the Taybeh attack.

Israeli police said they had opened an investigation. The checkable development is whether authorities announce arrests or findings tied to the attack on the European delegation.

Source: news article, Euronews, Oct. 17, 2026