Belgium’s consul general in Jerusalem has described the attack by illegal Israeli settlers on an international delegation in the occupied West Bank as a “new escalation” after masked assailants assaulted a French mayor and damaged a vehicle.
Speaking to Belgian public broadcaster VRT NWS on Sunday, Anick Van Calster said the delegation had joined Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in Taybeh to help deter settler violence.
“We hope that violent settlers will be deterred by our diplomatic presence,” she said.
The delegation included Belgian, French and Polish diplomats, Bernard Baudoux, mayor of Aulnoye-Aymeries in northern France, the archbishop of Cambrai and a local priest.
Van Calster said the group headed towards its vehicles after hearing that settlers were approaching.
“We are diplomats and we do not seek confrontation,” she said.
‘The violence has truly reached new heights’
Masked men then arrived in buggies carrying wooden and metal sticks, according to her account.
The vehicle carrying Van Calster escaped, but settlers attacked Baudoux and threw him to the ground before he could enter another car. They then hurled stones at the departing vehicle, shattering its rear window.
“Attacking diplomats is a new escalation,” Van Calster said. “The violence has truly reached new heights.”
She said fear of settler attacks was preventing Palestinian farmers from accessing their land, threatening their livelihoods.
VRT, citing Israeli newspaper Haaretz, reported that the Israeli military had failed to act on repeated warnings that included the attackers’ location and video footage.
The military said it had launched an investigation, but maintained that the hotline contacted was not intended for civilians and that the visit should have been coordinated beforehand.
‘We expect full accountability’: EU
Van Calster disputed the latter claim, saying diplomats were not required to coordinate such visits under the Oslo Accords.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Belgium would continue pressing for EU sanctions against those responsible for settler violence and their supporters.
The EU also condemned the attacks by violent and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank, calling for accountability and measures to prevent further violence against Palestinians and journalists.
"We expect full accountability as well as effective measures to prevent continued acts of violence and violent harassment against Palestinians, including during the ongoing olive harvest season, as well as against journalists," the EU spokesperson said.
