AI-generated illustration

Belgium's consul general in Jerusalem, Anick Van Calster, said a delegation of Belgian, French and Polish diplomats was attacked by masked Israelis who have seized Palestinian land while accompanying Palestinian farmers to the annual olive harvest in Taybeh, an occupied West Bank town. "The violence has really reached a new level," Van Calster told Belgian public broadcaster VRT.

The group returned to the village after the attackers approached and met Israeli activists who said they had been threatened by the same people. Van Calster rejected the Israeli army's suggestion that the visit should have been coordinated in advance, saying the Oslo Accords impose no such requirement on diplomats.

Diplomats joined farmers for olive harvest

Van Calster told VRT that the delegation, made up of Belgian, French and Polish diplomats including Van Calster, was accompanying Palestinian farmers to take part in the annual olive harvest. The visit served a purpose known in diplomatic circles as a "protective presence," Van Calster said, explaining that the diplomatic presence was meant to deter violent settlers.

"We are there to deter the settlers. We are never looking for confrontation. The violence has really reached a new level," Van Calster said. "Our peaceful presence is to show how dramatic the situation there really is."

Masked attackers blocked the vehicles

Van Calster said the group went to their vehicles when they heard the settlers heading toward them. "We are diplomats and we are not looking for confrontation," Van Calster said. The attackers wore masks that left only their eyes visible. The delegation moved quickly into the vehicles and returned to the village.

Israeli media reported that the attackers blocked the road in front of the vehicles carrying the diplomats, and footage shared on social media showed broken windows on the vehicle carrying the Belgian diplomat. On returning to the village, the delegation met Israeli activists who had been attacked by the same settlers. "They told them, 'We will kill you,'" Van Calster said.

Dispute over advance coordination

Responding to the Israeli army's statement that the visit had to be coordinated in advance, Van Calster noted that under the Oslo Accords diplomats are not required to coordinate their visits beforehand. Officials were already aware of the delegation's presence in the area and of the threats that had been going on for hours, Van Calster said, adding that the delegation could not be held responsible for the incident.

Van Calster described the attack on diplomats as a new escalation and said more incidents had taken place since the start of this olive harvest than during the whole of last year's harvest season.

Attacks during the harvest season

The attack took place on October 17 in Taybeh, in the occupied West Bank northeast of Ramallah, when a masked group of Israelis who have seized Palestinian land targeted vehicles carrying French, Belgian and Polish diplomats heading to the olive harvest. Taybeh, whose population is mostly Palestinian Christian, is known as the only settlement of its kind in the area.

Israelis who have seized Palestinian land frequently target Palestinians harvesting olives in the occupied West Bank as well as journalists working there. On October 16, Israelis beat and injured Heidi Levine, a photojournalist for The Washington Post who was covering the olive harvest in the West Bank village of Abu Falah.

Key takeaways

• Belgium's Jerusalem consul general said a diplomatic delegation was attacked in Taybeh while accompanying Palestinian farmers to the olive harvest.
• The masked attackers blocked the vehicles; footage showed broken windows on the car carrying the Belgian diplomat.
• Van Calster said the attack was a new escalation, with more incidents this harvest season than in all of last season.
• Van Calster rejected the Israeli army's call for advance coordination, citing the Oslo Accords.